Ex-Speaker Contends Election Plan's Foes
Tried to Take Advantage of Cain Affliction

Capitol Inside
May 7, 2021

Former Texas House leader Dennis Bonnen accused an unspecified group of state representatives on Friday of trying to capitalize on a colleague's struggles with a developmental disorder to undermine a voting restrictions bill that he sponsored and passed out of the lower chamber on Friday.

Bonnen - a Republican who served as speaker for two years until January - apparently was referring to Democrats in the light of the fact that all of them opposed Senate Bill 7 which all but one of the GOP's members supported en route to a 78-64 this afternoon for final approval after an initial nod in the wee morning hours.

Bonnen praised the performance that GOP State Rep. Briscoe Cain of Deer Park delivered as the election legislation's author - portraying his defense of the bill as a demonstration in bravery and leadership on a complicated subject for someone who suffers from the neurological conduction Asperger's syndrome.

"I was extremely disappointed to witness several House members demean, belittle, and weaponize his personal challenges against him during debate," Bonnen said of Cain. "It's always okay to disagree on policy, but never by cowardly attacking a man's personal struggles. I am compelled to publicly remind him this his friends condemn this unacceptable behavior, we support him, and we applaud him for continuing to persevere and succeed in the Texas House."

Cain revealed that he'd been inflicted with the malady during a speech to the House two years ago after being encouraged by Bonnen and others to share his experience with colleagues. Cain appeared to be overwhelmed at times on Thursday night during the first few hours of an intense grilling by Democrats on the legislation's potential to disenfranchise Black and Hispanic voters as major Texas corporations who've opposed the bill fear that it will if it becomes law.

Cain suggested that he hadn't felt compelled to request an analysis on the legislation's impact on minority voters because he'd already determined that such a study wasn't necessary because he'd determined that it wouldn't discriminate against anyone. Cain seemed to have trouble differentiating between the legislation's intention and ultimate impact on the voting rights of minorities - suggesting that he'd been unaware when he drafted the measure that federal courts had deemed other election laws that GOP lawmakers here have enacted had the effect of racial discrimination regardless of whether it had been premedicated or simply incidental.

A third-term legislator on the House leadership team for the first time as the Elections Committee chairman, Cain admitted during a piercing line of questioning from Democratic State Rep. Rafael Anchia of Dallas that he was aware that language that he borrowed from the state constitution when crafting the voting bill that would make it harder to vote in a state that's already the nation's most restrictive in that regard.

Cain was making his debut as a major bill sponsor who GOP Speaker Dade Phelan selected to carry the measure that's been the 2021 regular session's most controversial piece of legislation and has the potential to backfire on a number of fronts including the forfeiting of corporate donations on which Republicans have been heavily dependent.

Bonnen had taken Cain under his wing during the 2019 regular session after treating him like an adversary during his first two terms as a charter member of the right-wing Texas Freedom Caucus. The former speaker has appeared to have significant influence this year with Phelan - his hand-picked successor in the powerful leadership post.

Cain appeared to be on the brink of wilting when House leaders stopped the debate on SB 7 for a couple of hours late last night in a move that sparked speculation on the legislation's possible unraveling. The extended delay was attributed to behind-the-scenes negotiations with Democrats who were prepared to fight all night without apparent concessions. It also gave House leaders time that they might have thought they need to coach Cain on how to respond to tough questions and to help him steady his nerves for the sake of getting SB 7 to the finish line.

Cain seemed more confident and relaxed after the time out. He will face a new set of challenges now as the probable leader of House negotiators on a 10-member conference committee that will attempt to hammer out a compromise during the session's final 23 days.

State Rep. Lyle Larson, a San Antonio Republican who'd turned against Bonnen during his lone term as speaker, cast the only GOP vote in the Houwe against SB 7.

Dennis Bonnen Twitter Post May 7, 2021