“Texans elected you to cast your vote in Austin, so come on back and go to work,” Perry said. He urged the lawmakers to return and approve legislation that would increase Medicaid payments to doctors.
But congressional redistricting would also await the 11 Democratic senators if they returned from Albuquerque, N.M., and Perry said he wouldn’t remove that item from the special legislative session agenda.
“You leave on redistricting then there’s something else they don’t like and they leave on that. That’s like negotiating for hostages,” Perry said.
The Democrats say they’ll return to Austin if Perry drops redistricting from the special session or if Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reinstates the so-called “two-thirds” rule allowing 11 senators in the 31-member chamber to block a vote on a bill.
Meanwhile, Dewhurst urged the senators to come home and said he was disappointed to hear through news reports that they may be on the verge of filing a federal lawsuit in the redistricting dispute.
“By abandoning the state, and now by considering legal action when they don’t get their way, the Democrat minority is doing damage to Senate traditions, and to the Senate as an institution,” Dewhurst said in a prepared statement.
Democrats have refused to comment on any lawsuit plans. “We’re going to keep all options open,” said Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas.
