Campus-carry bill, Michelle Obama visit collide

First lady Michelle Obama’s visit this afternoon to San Antonio has caused a flap in the Texas Senate.

According to senators, Sens. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, and Royce West, D-Dallas, asked for permission to leave for a few hours to attend an event in the Alamo City with the first lady to highlight Texas’ contributions to America’s continued military readiness.

Then, realizing that two “no” votes on the campus-carry concealed handgun bill would be gone, Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, moved to call up his bill in their absence.



He earlier lacked one vote to call Senate Bill 354 up for debate. Twenty-one votes are required to bring a bill up.

Van de Putte said she and West asked to be accommodated.

“We were turned down,” she said.

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, said Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst suggested that Whitmire might vote “no” to maintain the status quo until West and Van de Putte could return.

“I’m not going to do that,” Whitmire said. “I’m not going to flip-flop around here like that. … This isn’t a carnival. This is the Texas Senate.”

Van de Putte: “Sen. West and I are staying put. Someone else will be welcoming the first lady to Texas.”

So, at this hour, the standoff on Wentworth’s bill that would allow concealed-weapon licensees to carry their guns into university and college buildings continues.

No immediate word from him on whether he still plans to bring the bill up again today, but based on his comments yesterday, we would suspect not.

“I’m going to be counting votes every day and will move it when I see that I have the votes I need,” Wentworth said.

Link.