AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — More than 1,900 people signed up to testify about proposed abortion restrictions before a Texas House committee on Tuesday, but rules imposed by the panel’s top Republican mean no more than 140 members of the public would get a chance to speak.State Rep. Byron Cook imposed an eight-hour limit on the hearing, with each person getting just three minutes before the committee, and he chose a room with only 67 seats. The restrictions come after a similar hearing two weeks ago turned into a 12-hour marathon when 700 protesters slowed the passage of the bill in the first special session. A Democratic filibuster and an angry crowd stopped the bill from becoming law a few days later leading GOP Gov. Rick Perry to call the Legislature back for a second special session.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=87284