We wandered the halls of the capitol with a camera, stopping any lawmaker who wanted to say anything about swirling talk that a special session is likely, given the tough tasks of marrying the stimulus money into the budget and trying to beat the clock.

Governor Rick Perry reportedly said this morning, "If it (the budget) grows unacceptably...I'll keep them (lawmakers) here all summer."

State Rep Eddie Rodriguez, D-Austin, says it may not be a matter of "making" lawmakers stay, but lawmakers needing to stay because of too many bills, too little time.

"There's a whole lot in play, and we're halfway through the session, and it seems like there's just no way to get it done," said Rodriguez. "Political fights, like unemployment insurance, that could go on for more than one session."

During the 2006 special sessions, the cost to taxpayers for a special session was estimated at about $60,000 per day. But State Rep. Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola, said that's worth the cost, especially if lawmakers are working a special session to be stewards of the billions of dollars in the budget.

"If we can be here watching over those dollars and doing our job, then I think it'd be worth it. Not that I want a special session, but if we have to, there's a reason for it," said Hughes.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, doubts the likelihood, saying that the Governor's just "trying to be daddy, and treating us like we're the children" in threatening a special.

"I'm against wasting people's time and wasting people's money. You only come into special session IF it's absolutely necessary," Coleman said.

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