USTIN, TEXAS Amid the deafening roar of abortion rights supporters, Texas Republicans huddled around the State Senate podium to pass sweeping new abortion restrictions, but the move was immediately cast into doubt as Democrats claimed it wasn't taken before the session's midnight deadline and the timing on official records changed within minutes. Hundreds of protesters cheered, clapped and shouted for the last 15 minutes of the special legislative session in an attempt to run out the clock before senators could vote on the bill that is expected to close almost every abortion clinic in the nation's second most populous state. While Democrats as well as assembled reporters watched clocks on their mobile phones tick past midnight, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said the voting began just before. Shortly after the vote, Dewhurst, the chamber's presiding officer, retreated to his office and issued no statements. According to Republicans and the official legislative website, the bill beat the deadline and now goes to Gov. Rick Perry, who directed that the legislation be taken up in the special session and is expected to sign it into law. Democrats immediately predicted a legal challenge and insisted the bill didn't pass before midnight. They noted that the legislative website changed: first showing the vote happening Wednesday, then show it was done on Tuesday. Democratic Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa showed reporters two printouts of the vote totals he said he made from an internal Senate system that showed the same change.
