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Sen. Charles Perry forces vote; Texas Senate passes HB 4 after dispute over campaign email tied to filibuster
Summary
Sen. Charles Perry accused Sen. Carol Alvarado of using a campaign email to promote her filibuster as a fundraising event, moved the previous question under Senate Rule 6.09, and the Senate subsequently voted to pass House Bill 4. The transcript records no on-floor rebuttal from Alvarado.
The Texas Senate moved to end debate and passed House Bill 4 after a floor dispute over a campaign email tied to a filibuster.
Sen. Charles Perry, speaking on the floor, said colleagues discovered a campaign email he said had been sent around 3:00 p.m. promoting Sen. Carol Alvarado’s filibuster as a campaign-fundraising event. Perry said the email and the use of Senate time and resources for campaign purposes were "highly offensive to the body" and "potentially unlawful," and he read passages from the message into the record. Perry told members: "Using the entire Senate, its employees and support and resources to support Senator Alvarado's campaign effectively holds hostage the entire Senate and ... forces employees to assist and participate in our campaign." He also read language from the email that said, in part, "I am standing up to Trump and standing for the democracy...rush a donation now and join me in this fight." (The transcript shows Perry reading the campaign text; it does not record Alvarado speaking in response on the floor.)
Following those remarks, citing Senate Rule 6.09, a senator moved the previous question to end debate and put final passage of HB 4 to an immediate vote. A parliamentary inquiry about precedent for that procedure was raised but ruled not in order by the presiding officer.
The secretary called the roll on the motion to move the previous question; the chair announced the motion was adopted (18 ayes, 8 nays). The Senate then voted on final passage of House Bill 4; the chair announced the bill passed (18 ayes, 11 nays). The transcript does not include the bill's text or summaries of its provisions.
The dispute on the floor centered on the allegation that a campaign communication tied to a filibuster used Senate time, staff, and facilities for campaign purposes. The transcript contains the accusing statements as read by Sen. Perry and includes the language of the email he read, but it records no on-floor denial or rebuttal from Sen. Alvarado during this proceeding.
The presiding officer then moved to other business; later in the session the Senate approved a privileged motion to adjourn until 3 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26.
