The Texas House has failed to suspend the Constitution to vote on a bill to criminalize invasive pat-downs at airports.
In order to pass the bill on the last day of the Legislature's special session, lawmakers needed 120 out of 150 lawmakers to vote on it twice on the same day. Every bill must be voted on twice, and the Constitution says the votes must be on different days. The motion to suspend that rule failed on a 96-26 vote.
Democrats opposed the bill because supporters characterize it as defying Obama Administration policies on airport security.
The bill would have made it a crime for airport security to intentionally touch someone inappropriately without reasonable suspicion. It would make only a slight change to existing law and may be unenforceable.
