Yesterday afternoon the House Elections Committee passed SB 362 the Senate version of the Voter ID bill.
The bill came out of committee with a 5-4 vote and not along party lines.
Representative Joe Heflin (D-Crosbyton) voted in favor but hopes to see changes made Were going to work to get some of the previous language back in … This bill still needs a lot of work."
Representative Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) voted against the bill but said he did so only after knowing it had the votes to pass. Bonnen believes the bill is weak in its present form but did not wish to kill it altogether. He hopes to pass a floor amendment tightening the bills non-photo ID regulations.
Elections Committee Chair Todd Smith maintained a level head despite the emotions of many concerning Voter ID. Smith told the press he is in favor of Voter ID provided the measure addresses the problem of fraud and does not suppress voter turnout.
But Smith expressed concerns about members motives in this legislation. Do we want to pass a bill or make a statement? Smith asked And its clear to me that some members simply want to make a statement. Theyre not interested in passing a bill.
I dont pretend to control the votes on the House floor and it seems to me there are two possibilities either we reach some sort of consensus in a bipartisan fashion or we will simply make a statement have a record vote and go home having not passed a voter ID bill.
In fact few from the committee seemed happy with the bill in its current form.
Even Representative Brown a strong advocate for Voter ID this session expressed her belief that the bill can still be improved.
A razor-thin Republican margin (76-74) coupled with discontent among Republicans about bill details will test the unity of the party when Voter ID finally hits the House floor. The 76 Republicans must stick together for this bill to pass but will face a flood of amendments from both sides of the aisle. Some of these such as the amendment threatened by Bonnen will prove divisive.
The House failed to pass Voter ID last session as two Republicans broke party lines and voted down the measure. Many now fear this session could see similar results.
Yesterday afternoon the House Elections Committee passed SB 362 the Senate version of the Voter ID bill.
The bill came out of committee with a 5-4 vote and not along party lines.
Representative Joe Heflin (D-Crosbyton) voted in favor but hopes to see changes made Were going to work to get some of the previous language back in … This bill still needs a lot of work."
Representative Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton) voted against the bill but said he did so only after knowing it had the votes to pass. Bonnen believes the bill is weak in its present form but did not wish to kill it altogether. He hopes to pass a floor amendment tightening the bills non-photo ID regulations.
Elections Committee Chair Todd Smith maintained a level head despite the emotions of many concerning Voter ID. Smith told the press he is in favor of Voter ID provided the measure addresses the problem of fraud and does not suppress voter turnout.
But Smith expressed concerns about members motives in this legislation. Do we want to pass a bill or make a statement? Smith asked And its clear to me that some members simply want to make a statement. Theyre not interested in passing a bill.
I dont pretend to control the votes on the House floor and it seems to me there are two possibilities either we reach some sort of consensus in a bipartisan fashion or we will simply make a statement have a record vote and go home having not passed a voter ID bill.
In fact few from the committee seemed happy with the bill in its current form.
Even Representative Brown a strong advocate for Voter ID this session expressed her belief that the bill can still be improved.
A razor-thin Republican margin (76-74) coupled with discontent among Republicans about bill details will test the unity of the party when Voter ID finally hits the House floor. The 76 Republicans must stick together for this bill to pass but will face a flood of amendments from both sides of the aisle. Some of these such as the amendment threatened by Bonnen will prove divisive.
The House failed to pass Voter ID last session as two Republicans broke party lines and voted down the measure. Many now fear this session could see similar results.
