About four hours into a series of contentious arguments that included an attempted lockdown, Speaker Joe Straus sent lawmakers home for Mother's Day and a cooling-off period.

"Everybody realized the mood on the floor was pretty volatile, which is not conducive to good public policy," said longtime legislator Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine. "Every session has a boiling point, and we just hit ours."

Lawmakers have struggled with a massive budget shortfall this year and now face polarizing debate over such emotional issues as immigration, school funding and tort reform.

Over the last few days, House Democrats have used GOP-generated rules to stall debate on some of those issues.

Finally on Saturday, House Republicans used their 101-49 seat advantage to pass the "loser pays" tort reform bill without discussion or amendments.

It was the only legislation the House approved Saturday before adjourning.

The day got off to a bad start when Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, asked Straus to lock the doors to prevent the House from losing its slim quorum.

Only 113 of the 150 members showed up when the morning session started. Many of the absent members were Republicans, who hold 101 of the seats. It takes 100 members to constitute a quorum.

Chisum and others were aware that Democrats might leave the chamber to shut down business. But Chisum's motion to lock down the House triggered verbal fireworks.

Angry Democrats let Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, lead the countercharge. He insisted that any "call on the House" apply to all 150 members, which would require state troopers to haul back any members not present.

He wanted to amend Chisum's motion so that troopers be dispatched to the homes of absent members or "wherever they may be … and the doors be locked and we all stay here until they return."

Chisum quickly withdrew his motion.

'The message today'

On Thursday, Democrats used House rules to stall the tort reform bill - favored by the business community because it could require losers of certain lawsuits to pay the prevailing party's legal expenses - when they found a procedural defect.

But Gov. Rick Perry quickly declared tort reform an emergency issue, allowing the measure to leap-frog all other bills in the House on Saturday. The Senate has not yet acted on the measure.

"What you saw today was a message (to Democrats). Here's how we can do things if you make us," said House GOP leader Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood, after Saturday's vote. "With 101 (out of 150) members, there are things you can do using the rules to get bills done. That's the message today."

Straus, R-San Antonio, said he hopes not to muscle other legislative bills past Democrats without discussion.

"The other side had dug in and made it clear that they were going to give no quarter - that they were going to kill these bills," Straus said while explaining his decision to approve the tort reform bill without discussion.

Literally tossing rules

Republicans on Saturday tried to suspend all House rules to make sure their priority bills could be passed early this week. Democrats refused the deal.

Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, who knocked three major bills back to committees on Thursday and Friday because he found rule violations, blamed Republicans for creating a legislative mess.

"Because of their inability to pass bills they now want to eliminate the rules that we are all bound by. These are their rules," he said. "Hopefully, cooler heads will come back on Monday."

The Republican effort to suspend all House rules inspired veteran Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, to throw up the rule book.

"If you suspend all the rules, you don't need a rulebook," Eiland said later.

During one heated exchange, Martinez Fischer raised his voice from the back microphone as he directed questions to Straus - his San Antonio colleague. Martinez Fischer pointed out that the extraordinarily unusual motion to suspend House rules required a one-hour notice.

"If you don't want to enforce rules, that's on you," Fischer said in a loud voice to Straus. "That's not on us."

'Judgment calls'

He also reminded Straus that House members took down former House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, more than two years ago because of his strong-armed rule.

High emotions are typical late in a legislative session.

"It's the nature of the deadlines that we have. I think everyone played within the rules. Sometimes it's easier than other times," Straus said. "There are some judgment calls that have to be made — try to respect the rules of the House."

gscharrer@express-news.net