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Senate Bill 6 is slated for final passage late this afternoon, although the debate could go long into the evening.  Legislation to change the teaching profession in ways it has never seen, including tenure and basing pay on student performance, continues to barrel its way through the state legislature.  GOP leaders are refusing suggested changes from Democrats and their own members and As Mike Vasilinda tells us, opponents’ only hope of stopping the bill is a veto from Governor Charlie Crist.

It is a tactic most Capitol observers haven’t seen used often.

Republican leaders used a quorum call on each of thirteen votes on amendments. The idea is to discourage members from leaving the chamber or not voting on an issue.

The bottom-line message…don’t take a walk, don’t vote for any changes. Rep. Julio Robaina is one of the few Republicans who bolted from his party.

“I know that a lot of members were told that their projects or other bills that were important to them were on the line,” Robaina said.

Some votes were delayed while members were rounded up.

Majority Leader Adam Hasner did the rounding up.

“Every vote needs to be counted, every member needs to be on the floor,” Hasner said. “So that their constituents know how they’re voting on the issue.”

But what happens when the bill gets here is still anybody’s guess.

Crist caught lawmakers by surprise when he first raised the possibility of a veto on Wednesday.  Now he says his mind still isn’t made up.

“I just want to weigh it out and continue to listen,” Crist said.

But is a decision he will have to make quickly. He’ll have seven days once the bill lands on his desk.

Republican leadership in the House thought they had an agreement with the governor and are not happy that a veto is a possibility.