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By Juan A. Lozano
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The first
democratic senator to break
anks with the boycotting legis
lators who fled to New Mexico
raid Wednesday that ultimately
congressional redistricting will
lave to be debated on the Texas
senate floor.
Sen. John Whitmire, a
Houston Democrat, said if
Republican Gov. Rick Perry
Decides to continue calling spe
cial legislative sessions on the
issue, the governor can outlast
he 10 Senate Democrats who
femain in Albuquerque, N.M.
*'We cannot remain in New
exico indefinitely. At some
int in time, unless you’re pre-
ared to live in New Mexico,
ou have to come back and
ebate the issue on the Senate
oor,” Whitmire told The
ssociated Press on Wednesday
■during an interview in his
1 Houston office. “I really hope
they’ll weigh options that allows
them to have an end plan, an end
game, short of being out there
|any additional length of time.”
Whitmire, who returned
uesday night, spent
ednesday talking with con-
tituents, community leaders
and some Democratic and
epublican state senators. His
taff was busy answering tele
hone calls, some supportive
nd others critical of Whitmire.
The Houston legislator said
e’ll spend the rest of the week
alking with local and state
olitical leaders to try and bring
he two parties together on
edistricting.
He said he hopes to talk with
jRepublican Lt. Gov. David
t)ewhurst this week. He said he
has spoken with Republican
enators Jeff Wentworth of San
Antonio and Florence Shapiro
of Plano.
Whitmire said he doesn’t
expect Perry to call another spe
cial session immediately. If that
were to happen, he said, he is
not sure whether he would
attend.
For now, he said, he doesn’t
believe he will be apprehended
and taken back to the state
Capitol by law officers.
"I don’t think they want me at
this stage,” he said. “I’m doing
them more good in the free
world. But I’m monitoring it very
carefully out of Austin. They’re
not going to slip up on me.”
At some point in
time, unless you re
prepared to live in
New Mexico, you
have to come back
and debate the
99
issue.
— Sen. John Whitmire
Houston Democrat
Dewhurst said Wednesday
that he would prefer a third spe
cial session be called within the
next two weeks, although he has
had no indication from Perry
when a third would be called.
Eleven Senate Democrats
fled to New Mexico on July 28
just as Perry was about to call a
second consecutive special leg
islative session on redistricting.
Their absence blocked a quorum
in the 31-member chamber,
shutting down Senate business.
Two-thirds must be present for
there to be a quorum.
Whitmire said there is still
"a close bond” between him
and the Democratic senators
who remain in New Mexico,
even though some disagreed
with his decision to return to
Texas.
He said he also returned to
Texas because he didn't want
the Senate’s so-called two-thirds
rule permanently eroded, effect
ing other issues in the future
besides redistricting.
Meanwhile, in Austin,
Republican senators met behind
closed doors to consider possi
ble plans redrawing the state’s
congressional lines. Dewhurst
said no conclusion was reached,
but that senators were commit
ted to reaching a consensus on a
map by early next week.
The Democrats fled to New
Mexico in part because they
claimed GOP leaders violated
the federal Voting Rights Act by
dropping a traditional rule that
requires two-thirds of the Senate
to agree to debate a bill.
Republicans point out that the
two-thirds provision hasn’t been
in place for all special sessions.
‘‘I’m glad to be at home but
I’m not celebrating anything.
I’m very disappointed where we
find ourselves, saddened by the
condition the Senate finds itself
and mad at those who created
this unfortunate set of circum
stances,” Whitmire said.
“Would I rather be here than
New Mexico? Yeah. I’d rather
be here than in Austin.”
Whitmire said if any redis
tricting plan is passed by legis
lators, ultimately it will have to
be approved by the courts. The
Senate Democrats already have
one lawsuit pending in federal
court in Laredo.
“It’s my goal to get people
back to the Senate floor, have a
heated debate and move on to
where (the Senate) will again be
recognized as the greatest leg
islative body on Earth,”
Whitmire said.
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