A member of the Texas House has asked clarifying questions regarding removing the current speaker in a letter after being prevented from asking the questions on the House floor.
As reported by The Dallas Express, Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) functionally banned Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) from making public parliamentary inquiries in the same manner as every other representative. Under the new rule, the member from Arlington will have to get prior approval from the parliamentarian or the speaker.
Phelan claimed that the decision was due to Tinderholt repeatedly making improper inquiries despite prior warnings and instructions.
“In light of your long history of refusing to comply with those requirements, the chair has no choice but to interpret your persistent violation of the rules as both willful and dilatory,” Phelan said. “Accordingly, before entertaining any further parliamentary inquiries from you this session, you will have to come down front and visit the chair or the parliamentarians to ensure that your proposed inquiries do not violate the rules.”
“At this time, the chair declines to entertain any further inquiries from you, Mr. Tinderholt,” Phelan concluded.
In a letter sent to Speaker Phelan on October 16, Tinderholt laid out several questions he was prevented from asking.
“Your actions last Thursday were the most tyrannical actions I have ever witnessed during the entirety of my service in the Texas House,” he claimed. “I’ve spoken with several members who’ve been here far longer than I have who’ve also expressed that this is the most unprecedented display of tyranny by a Speaker that they have ever witnessed.”
“Ironically, the questions you barred me from asking Thursday were regarding ‘a motion to vacate the Chair,’” he continued. “Your actions make it clear why it’s so important that the body understand how to correctly make such a motion.”
“Since, you have prohibited me from asking questions at the mic, making Austin more like DC, I will ask my questions here and respectfully request a response on behalf of millions of Texans who deserve an answer,” Tinderholt added.
His line of questioning would have asked, “Is the proper term for a motion which would remove a sitting Speaker, ‘a motion to vacate the chair’?” It would have been followed by, “If a member wanted to lay out such a motion, what would be the proper way to do that?”
“If a member is not recognized for the ‘motion to vacate the chair,’ could the member appeal that decision to deny recognition through Rule 5, Section 24(c) which essentially states that the member would need 76 signatures?” Tinderholt concluded.
Calls for Phelan to step down as speaker have grown since the Senate acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The House had rushed to impeach the thrice-elected AG during the last days of the regular session in May. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and certain members of the House, such as Tinderholt, have vocally criticized Phelan’s leadership.
During the third special session, which was called to pass bills that died in the House earlier this year, the Senate quickly held hearings and passed several key items before the lower chamber had organized a committee meeting, as reported by The Dallas Express.
