04.26.07
Rep. Krusee On How His Committee Works
“You don’t have to agree with every bill you let out.”
That was Rep. Mike Krusee’s response when questioned as to why he let a bill through his committee. What bill, HB 1274, the caption of the bill reads: Relating to the requirement of speaking and reading the English language as a condition for the issuance of a commercial driver’s license. From the above quote we are to believe that Rep. Mike Krusee didn’t agree with this bill but let it through his committee anyway. Read the whole paragraph that contained that quote and we see what’s really going on:
Now. Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, chairman of Transportation, seemed amused when asked why he let the bill out of his committee – but simply said, “You don’t have to agree with every bill you let out.” True enough. He also probably knew full well that it would die on a point of order somewhere – those things aren’t that hard to find if you’re really looking – and that Craddick would have been a loony tune if he didn’t uphold it and recommit the bill.
It’s safe to assume that not much gets through Rep. Mike Krusee’s, or any other committee, that the chair doesn’t agree with. Otherwise the committee chair is just an empty seat, a tool of the Speaker and/or his party. That’s leads us to ask why, why did Rep. Krusee let this bill through his committee? And also why did this bill that, more than likely, not many Texans really care about get through his committee while a bill (HB 2772) that a vast majority of Texans, and legislators, approve of languish? Like this commenter asked:
If Kruse believes a chairman need not agree with a bill to release it from committee, he should not held up the toll moratorium against the will of the vast majority!
The real answer though is that a committee chair will let bills they disagree with through their committee, only if they know they will ultimately fail to become law (HB 1274), but not those they know will ultimately become law (HB 2772). We can only guess as to why Rep. Krusee let this bill, that he says he disagrees with, through the his committee. But, more than likely, he either bowed to the will of the Speaker, and the “wing-nuts” in his party, to allow this bill, that’s red meat to the GOP base, to get through his committee, or he’s a liar and is really for this bill.