The last weeks of session in the Texas Legislature’s biennial, 140-day marathons are almost always fractious. Long days get longer, bill-killing deadlines come and go, tempers fray and emotions boil over.

With a major deadline looming last Thursday, the House was still struggling through the previous Saturday’s calendar, and the fate of a host of bills looked grim. And if things weren’t tough enough already, a small group within the GOP calling itself the Texas Freedom Caucus, increasingly incensed at its perceived marginalization, rose up in the early evening and declared its intention, via parliamentary maneuvers, to murder 100-plus bills on the local and consent calendar. These are typically non-controversial bills fast-tracked to pass easily, but lawmakers can effectively kill such items either by talking them to death (that takes 10 minutes), or gathering at least five signatures to oppose.

Before the night was over, observers on social media were calling it the “Mother’s Day Massacre.” Tribune photographer Bob Daemmrich was there for the duration, and what follows is the long day in pictures.

2:49 p.m. State Reps. Matt Schaefer and Jeff Leach, both members of the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus looking at House bills as lawmakers settle in for a long day with a midnight deadline to pass bills out of the chamber.
2:49 p.m. State Reps. Matt Schaefer and Jeff Leach, both members of the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus, looking at House bills as lawmakers settle in for a long day with a midnight deadline to pass bills out of the chamber. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
3:42 p.m. House Speaker Joe Straus looks on as lawmakers struggle to get through a mountain of bills.
3:42 p.m. House Speaker Joe Straus looks on as lawmakers struggle to get through a mountain of bills. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
4:40 p.m. State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, one of the members of the Texas Freedom Caucus, raises his arms in celebration.
4:40 p.m. State Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Deer Park, one of the members of the Texas Freedom Caucus, raises his arms in celebration. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
7:29 p.m. Members of the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus hold a press conference announcing their intention to kill over 100 local and consent bills in retaliation for what they called the “petty personal politics” of the Republican-controlled chamber.
7:29 p.m. Members of the conservative Texas Freedom Caucus hold a press conference announcing their intention to kill over 100 local and consent bills in retaliation for what they called the “petty personal politics” of the Republican-controlled chamber. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
8:31 p.m. A quiet night outside the Capitol belies the turmoil within.
8:31 p.m. A quiet night outside the Capitol belies the turmoil within. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
9:16 p.m. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, looks on as the House gets nearer its midnight deadline.
9:16 p.m. State Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, looks on as the House gets nearer its midnight deadline. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
9:23 p.m. State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, speaks from the back mic as fellow Freedom Caucus member Jonathan Stickland (foreground) listens.
9:23 p.m. State Rep. Matt Schaefer, R-Tyler, speaks from the back mic as fellow Freedom Caucus member Jonathan Stickland (foreground) listens. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
9:50 p.m. Arguments break out on the House floor.
9:50 p.m. Arguments break out on the House floor. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
10:02 p.m. State Rep. Ryan Guillen, d-Rio Grande City, talking to a fellow lawmaker with less than two hours to the midnight deadline.
10:02 p.m. State Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, talking to a fellow lawmaker with less than two hours to the midnight deadline. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
10:56 p.m. State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, pleads for his colleagues to hear a bill on experimental stem cell treatments. “Maybe my wife will walk,” Springer said. “I’d trade every single bill I’ve passed, every single one, to get the chance to hear HB 810.”
10:56 p.m. State Rep. Drew Springer, R-Muenster, pleads for his colleagues to hear a bill on experimental stem cell treatments. “Maybe my wife will walk,” Springer said. “I’d trade every single bill I’ve passed, every single one, to get the chance to hear HB 810.” Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
11:59 The deadline to pass bills out of the chamber arrives.
11:59 The deadline to pass bills out of the chamber arrives. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune
12:02 a.m. State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, prepares to leave the House after the midnight deadline passes. As promised, the Texas Freedom Caucus killed over 100 local and consent bills later that Friday.
12:02 a.m. State Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, prepares to leave the House after the midnight deadline passes. As promised, the Texas Freedom Caucus killed over 100 local and consent bills later that Friday. Bob Daemmrich for The Texas Tribune

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Bob Daemmrich is a contributing photographer. He started covering Texas politics back when Rick Perry was still a Democrat, and remains a vital member of the Capitol press corps decades later. Following...

John Jordan is the deputy director of photography, part of the team that ensures our stories are graced with arresting visuals. Based in Austin, John grew up in South America and has managed to hang on...