Jun. 1--AUSTIN -- A Dallas state senator threatened a filibuster Sunday to kill a massive transportation bill before the 140-day biennial legislative session ends today.

Sen. John Carona, R-Dallas, alleged that key lawmakers worked behind his back to keep language for local-option elections for transportation funding out of the overall bill. He accused some colleagues of backstabbing, trickery and political cowardice.

"I feel very passionate about this," Carona said.

The bill had not come up in the Senate by late Sunday. Carona predicted that Dewhurst would bring it to the Senate floor today.

Carona implicated fellow Republicans at various levels of government for killing a provision that would provide funding "desperately needed in our urban areas."

He took swipes at Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus for lacking the political courage to rally for the measure. He called Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, "deceitful and dishonest" in his work as a lead negotiator on the bill.

"Sen. Carona's distortions sadden me because not only are they patently false, but because he is also attempting to reinvent history," Hegar said in a statement.

Carona expressed revulsion at comments by some lawmakers that those who support the local-option provision didn't want to vote on it if it had no chance of passing because they were worried about the issue being used against them in the next election, regardless of how they voted.

"Every issue in the Senate can't be decided on a 31-0 vote," Carona said. "There are times when we as a Legislature are expected to act as leaders."

Carona promised that there is a list of 81 House members who signed on to vote for a local-option provision, but he declined to release it publicly.

Work goes on

Despite the drama in the Senate, bills flew through both chambers at a fast clip Sunday. Lawmakers sent more than 80 bills to Perry's desk, including one establishing the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law, the first public law school in Dallas.

Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, delivered a "personal privilege" speech calling for the ouster of the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, who is facing a judicial conduct hearing this summer for allegedly failing to allow an after-hours appeal from an inmate who was executed hours later.

Burnam, who filed a motion to begin legislative impeachment proceedings against Judge Sharon Keller, had earlier indicated that he might press for a House vote on the motion.