Showdown! Rick Perry puts TSA 'no-grope' Bill on Agenda

This is huge and sets the stage for a big showdown between the Feds and the State of Texas. During Texas' regular legislative session, HB 1937 unanimously passed the House but was defeated in the Senate, not with a vote but with a letter of intimidation from the Feds. The Senate withdrew the bill and the regular session ended. Ah, but hold on. That regular session ended without passage of a bill that could not be left unresolved. Why? Because a Democrat Senator named Wendy Davis (D-Fort Worth) filibustered the bill.

Perry was forced to call a special session, where he has far more power. In special session, the governor has sole responsibility for putting bills on the agenda and simple majorities are all that's needed - no filibuster can stop passage of a bill. In addition to Perry putting SB 9 - a tough sanctuary cities bill - on the agenda recently, he has now put the TSA no-groping bill on the agenda as well.

Via the Houston Chronicle:

Gov. Rick Perry announced he had added legislation that would make it illegal for TSA agents to engage in “intrusive touching” at airports security checkpoints without probable cause to the list of items for the legislature to consider during the special session.

The measure had previously failed to pass in the Texas Senate after the Justice Department wrote a scathing memo against the bill that threatened legal action against the state and the bill became enmeshed in Senate politics.

There are questions about what affect the legislation might have since airport security is a federal matter.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who was accused of lobbying against the bill in May said he was “pleased” by Perry’s decision.

“I’m very pleased that Governor Perry agreed to add this legislation to his Special Session call,” Dewhurst said. “Addressing unreasonable and unlawful searches of innocent travelers by some TSA employees is an issue that affects all Texans who use air travel, and it should not wait until next Session.”

Perry is being assailed by many in the conservative movement for his RINO streak. I must say, I've been one of them but he is making some bold moves in this special session that should please the state's rights crowd.

Read it all.