The mood, and boundaries, have changed a lot at the state capitol since the regular session. Upon entering the capitol, you take immediate notice of the differences -- chained off sections of the stairwell and rotunda and an increased presence of Department of Public Safety troopers.
But what has really changed in this second special session?
Following a weekend of national Sunday morning talk shows, there is no question that Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, is now wielding substantial political capital. The question now is: What will she do with it?
"Well, I hope it has given us a much broader platform to communicate from, and I'm sure it has. The social media has created a tremendous participation in this democratic conversation," Davis said.
Davis said another difference will be the amount of attention on the procedural aspects of the process.
On the other side of the issue is Rep. Stefani Carter, R-Richardson, who saw last week’s special session as run-of-the-mill, until it turned into something else.
"In the final moments -- or at least in the final days -- one Democrat ultimately did what I call a publicity stunt at the end that had no effect, no effect at all, but to create a new short special session to finish this up," Carter said.
Carter said she is pretty sure that Davis knew her filibuster would result in a second special session to finish up the legislature’s business.
Republicans have promised this session that the process will be sped up and eyes are on the leadership in both the House and Senate to makes things happen.
