 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
August 2009
More KVUE Blogs
|
March 2009 ArchivesThe state's longtime policy of teaching abstinence-only sex education in Texas public schools is getting a test this session, with a pair of bills calling for teaching kids about contraception and disease prevention. Currently, Texas leads the nation in spending federal funding on abstinence education but also leads the nation in teen births. Texas law regarding sex education hasn't changed since 1995, so the bills by state Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio and state Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, would amount to what they call "sweeping change" to address teen pregnancy and the spread of se... The biggest political donor in the land, Houston homebuilder Bob Perry, may be wandering the halls of the pink dome today, according to consumer group Texas Watch. Perry's allegedly getting appointments with senators to save the Texas Residential Construction Commission, an agency whose creation he pushed. TRCC is now under sunset review. Perry is notoriously mysterious -- he doesn't do lots of political glad handing, there are only a few photos of him on the internet and he almost never speaks to the press, despite his statur... Sadly, this isn't the first time we've said goodbye to press corps colleagues here on Political Junkie, but today's loss is a big one. The Dean of the Capitol press corps leaves the beat today, after covering Texas politics since 1971. It's the Houston Chronicle's Clay Robison's last day. The paper downsized its newsroom by more than 20% on Wednesday, and the cuts included Clay. His institutional knowledge, understanding of the process and connections to generations of sources all leave with him, and that's a huge loss. Some messages from his colleagues: This session, state Rep. Rafael Anchia's behind the bill providing free condoms in TDCJ facilities. The bill also calls for annual HIV testing inside prisons, a much less controversial component. Condoms would not be paid for by the state; rather, it calls on non-profit health agencies to provide the protection. Last session, a similar effort by state Rep. Garnet Coleman's effort died in committee. House Corrections is hearing the bill today, but it's not going to be laid out by its author. (Anchia is spending today ... Senate just passed SR 510 to honor Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst for his upcoming induction into the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame. He's a champ in the cutting horse competition and was formerly a roper. On Friday night, he'll be inducted in a ceremony in Belton. The Senate adopted the resolution without any objection. "I know that since you like being a cowboy, this is a big deal," said state Sen Troy Fraser, R-Horsehoe Bay. "That was sneaky," Dewhurst said. "I didn't realize [the resolution] was my own." ...State Sen. John Carona says he's still trying to secure the votes to approve his SB 298, approving sobriety checkpoints in Texas. State Sen. Judith Zaffirini carried the measure last session and never brought it up on the floor because she couldn't get the votes. "It's such a different bill," Carona said of his committee substitute. "We changed it a lot to deal with the concerns about invasiveness." The changes include a lot ... The always interesting body known as the Texas State Board of Education begins meeting on Wednesday to take public hearing before a vote this week on a new science curriculum that challenges the theory of evolution. Because Texas has such a huge textbook market, textbook companies watch the state closely and market to its standards. Changes made to the Texas curriculum, then, may affect schools across the country. The characters on the board have again drawn national attention, this time from the Wall ...
The full Texas House has yet to vote on a single bill this session, but that changes tomorrow. The House posted a calendar!!! (Also known as their daily agenda). "Isn't that somethin'?" said state Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock. "I've been practicing pressing my voting button all session long," joked state Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin. "Now I actually get to use it." The first bill up? HB 873, aimed at bringing back wayward f... Senators hit the halfway mark of the legislative session with a visit from Miss Texas Rebecca Robinson and Miss Teen Texas Sydney Capello. State Sen. Eddie Lucio was impressed by Miss Texas' Spanish-speaking abilities and wound up getting a photo with her; the other senators did the standard meet-and-greet with the lady guests. This is neither here nor there, but I am always impressed by pageant queens' excellent posture.
State Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, is hoping to bring up and pass SB 309, regulating eight liners, on the Senate floor this afternoon. He says he has the votes to pass 309 as it is, but now he's hearing it will be used as a vehicle for a much larger measure that okays resort casinos in Texas. "That's not going to happen on my watch," Jackson said. "I'll just pull the bill." ...The House is rumored to have a calendar at some point this week, which is to say, they will start considering bills on the floor. Due to a later-than-usual start to committees, a few days off for the presidential inauguration and other random factors, both chambers are hitting the 70th day of the 140 day session not having done a whole lot of substantive legislating. Bills are moving fast and furiously through committee now, but some fear it's not fast enough to avoid a special session. For the House, a deadline looms seven weeks away. It has until Monday, May 11th to decide which of the 4,697 House bills... 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... In the spirit of the ongoing SXSW Film Festival going on this week , I found some spoilers about Sascha Baron Cohen's new film, Bruno, starring another one of the comedians alter egos. The best part, perhaps, is the "insane cameo" by Texas Congressman Ron Paul. According to Slate magazine: Ron Paul's appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming Bruno movie suggests he draws the line at making sex tapes with gay... To no one's surprise, Senate passes Voter ID straight down party lines, 19-12. ...And we're back. I'm delayed because of various interviews for our sister station. The Senate's much more subdued this week now that the measure has already gotten preliminary approval. Senators are taking turns giving privilege speeches on the issue -- Williams says voter impersonation does occur, Shapleigh says this is blatantly political and suppresses voters, and so on and so forth. The measure is likely to pass again straight down party lines, stay tuned for more updates. ...State Sen. Troy Fraser has found a clerical error in the Voter ID bill that could delay the floor vote on SB 362 for another day. The bill wasn't properly listed in the Texas Senate Agenda (aka The Green Book), and the Democrats could raise a point of order on it. Since Fraser found the error himself, he told D's about it and has offered to delay debate/vote until Tuesday. Democrats are currently huddled in a back room deciding whether to go for the delay or not. If they delay this and have another day of floor debate on this issue, then that means another day without committees being able to meet and take... Congratulations, 81st Legislature. You've collectively kicked the 80th Legislature's butt when it comes to filing bills. The filing deadline was on Friday, and about 900 new bills got in that day before close-of-business. The final tally: On the House side, a total of 4697 bills were filed, up 18% from the 2007 session, in which 3,977 made it to the clerk's office. On the Senate side, an even bigger jump. This session, senators filed 2,447 bills, up 26% from last session's 1,944. Your bill total of 2009? 7,144, for a... They say politics is about communication, and communication in this "web 2.0" world means social media via Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Digg and other buzzworthy ways to keep up to date with our communities. Three Austin-based politicos won The Statesman's First Annual Social Media Awards tonight, including Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, Texas Public Policy Foundation media director/lobbyist David Guenthner and Burnt Orange Report's Matt Glazer. (I've li... Houston Mayor Bill White will host dinner in Austin tonight for about forty progressives who were part of grassroots group, Texans for Obama. White is seeking the US Senate seat of US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. "He has always struck me as someone who doesn't shy away from tough questions," said TFO Founder Ian Davis. "So I thought I'd get some smart people together to ask him tough questions and see how he does." Davis (who has his own Wall Street Journal dot matrix picture) hasn'...
"I hope that the Governor has carefully thought through the potential outcomes of today's... Senators Rodney Ellis, Eliot Shapleigh, Leticia Van de Putte, Wendy Davis, Mario Gallegos, Royce West, Judith Zaffiriniand Senator John Whitmire issued a joint statement out of Ellis' office within an hour of Perry's announcement he's rejecting $550 mil in stimpak money for UI. "Governor Perry's decision will harm Texas families," said Van de Putte. "I am amazed that Governor Perry would put partisan interests above the interest of already unemployed Texans and those who will unfortunately lose their jobs due to this economy." State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, is also quick to respond: R... Governor Rick Perry announced at a family-owned Houston hardware store he will not accept about half a billion dollars in federal stimulus money headed to Texas for unemployment benefits. "I am here today to stand with Texas employers and the millions of Texans they employ to resist further government intrusion into their businesses through an expansion of our state's unemployment insurance program," Perry said. "My focus has been, and continues to be, cultivating an environment that creates more jobs for Texans. That is why I am so concerned about the belief that has gained a foothold in our nati... Governor Perry's office "will not confirm or deny" information from sources saying he will announce he's rejecting $570 million in unemployment insurance money that's headed to Texas, as part of the federal stimulus money. But we do know this: Governor Perry did NOT have a press conference when he ACCEPTED most the stimulus, and his announcement today is in a conservative part of Houston, full of potential GOP primary voters. State Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, who chairs the House Committee on Federal Stimulus Stabilization, says a rejection of the money will mean employers will see a tax increase as ... An invitation to those of you who are geeked-out, like me. Piryx is hosting a few panels during SXSW this week that focus on the intersection of government and technology. One of the panels is this afternoon at the Capitol, and I invite you to attend if you are not sitting in committee, trying to find an elevator without 17 million people on it, or gorging on free frozen yogurt toppings day at the Capitol Grill. Here are the deets, if you're interested: March 12, 2009 4:30pm - 5:30pm @ Texas Capitol Auditorium Featuring Panelists: Gregg Burt (President and CEO, Hart InterCivic) After 24 hours on the floor, the Voter ID bill carried by state Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay, passed out of committee with a vote right down party lines, 20-12 (Dewhurst voted). This morning we found Fraser on the House floor, already trying to figure out who will carry the House version of SB 362. (He's hoping it will be Elections Committee Chairman Todd Smith, R-Euless. The sponsor of the 2007 Voter ID bill in the House, state Rep. Betty Brown, R-Terrell, says she has already filed similar legislation.) Fraser says he feels great after the first Senate all-nighter of the session and successfully pass... Texas Senators continue their marathon hearing on Voter ID at this hour, nearly a full day after they started. Most committee hearings set for today have been canceled until the voter ID debate is resolved. First Reading's Jason Embry reports:
12:35am: As the Senate continues into the early morning hours, I'm retiring to get a little shut eye. Senators will NOT vote tonight, they plan to take their first vote on this after they return tomorrow, a time which has yet to be determined. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess Voter ID passes on a vote of 19-12 (the R to D split in the Senate). 11:59pm: We've wandered into whether Gerry Hebert stole maps from the redistricting room. Hebert says he never took any maps. And as the clock strikes midnight, Senators take a break to allow a change out of stenographers. I t... In advance of tomorrow's tussle in the Senate over a bill requiring Texans to present government-issued ID in order to vote, here's a look at the issue we did last May, after the US Supreme Court ruled the Voter ID measures in Indiana were constitutional. Included are seniors, GOP Chair Tina Benkiser, a few flashbacks from House 2007 and Justin Leavitt of the NYU Brennan Center, who wrote the study, "The Truth about Voter ID". Enjoy. State Senators on both sides are gearing up for their bitter partisan battle over stricter ID requirements in order to vote in Texas. Testimony begins tomorrow before debate and then a vote, eventually. Republicans in favor say they don't understand the opposition to the bill, largely because they can't "imagine a circumstance" where people won't be able to vote for lack of the forms of ID required. "We'll give everyone a chance to make their case before we actually debate the bill," said state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands. "There are alternative forms of identification that are provided for in the ...
Third in an occasional series Jerry's been around the capitol "forever", yet he's barely on the other side of 30. His parents long ago gave up the glimmer of hope he'd become something easier-to-describe (read: doctor, lawyer), but he lived and loved his decade as a capitol staffer, worked dozens of campaigns on the even-numbered years, and this session, wound up teaming ... Both sides of the highly-partisan debate over voter identification requirements are hoping to drum up supporters to testify at the Texas Senate's committee of the whole hearings next week. Schedules have been cleared, meaning senators expect the brouhaha over the legislation to last possibly all week long. As Belo-brethren Wayne Slater blogs, trust is already eroding in advance of the debate. Republicans say requiring photo ID to vote is a low standard and will prevent voter fraud; Democrats say there's... The chorus of lawmakers pushing career and technology bills is growing louder. State Rep. Jim Keffer, R-Eastland, followed up on state Sen. Florence Shapiro's announcement yesterday which introduced her career and technical education bills on the Senate side. He's authored HB 2471 on the House side, a product of extensive work with industry groups that have been supportive of these types of measures. "We've had bits... In the private sector, salaries can be kept secret. But a life of public service means the public can get your salary information with simple records requests. The H-Chron's making it easier, with a searchable database of all 275,000 state employee salaries from 2008. ...State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who you may remember from an ethnically-charged spat a few weeks ago, has been batting around the idea of running for Texas Governor to bring a greater focus to illegal immigration issues. "If we can't get anything done about illegal aliens during the next session of the legislature, which starts next January, then I will announce my candidacy for governor of Texas," he said to KLTV-TV last summer. Th...
It's the longest serving governor in Texas history's birthday today. During a press conference this morning, he said he was 39. (Snicker, snicker.) ...State Rep. Joaquin Castro's quest to bring you the frenzy of the daily floor sessions live on your TV will soon be a reality. Castro got more than 100 other members to sign a letter to broadcasters, cable and satellite providers, asking that they create a Texas "C-SPAN" -- statewide channels to broadcast the Texas House and Senate. (Time Warner already provides this coverage for Austin viewers, AT&T and Direct TV do not.) Castro says AT&T will show the House and Senate for U-verse customers statewide starting at the beginning of April.... A whole lotta state Senators will take turns at the mic on Tuesday morning to urge Governor Rick Perry to accept the $555 million in unemployment insurance funds available from the federal stimulus package. (Perry and other Republicans are concerned that accepting the funds require a change in state law that might affect future employer taxes when the fed money runs out.) The press conference lineup: State Senators Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, Kirk Watson, D-Austin, Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville and Mario Gallegos, D-Houston. Oh, AND state Rep. Jim D... Ambassador Tom Schieffer spent a few minutes of his press conference this morning (in which he announced his exploratory committee for Texas governor in 2010) batting back questions about his friend and former business partner, George W. Bush. Here's what he said when asked what he thought of Bush's job as president: Micro-blogging tool Twitter is now part of the zeitgeist, two years after it was first launched as a tool to find the best South by Southwest parties here in Austin. The creators say it's not about individual tweets, but about "the community" - the news-as-it's-happening, direct interaction, general sense of your world you get by following a bunch of sources and participating in the conversation. Texas state lawmakers, who often use information as currency, have been quick to get on the twitter bandwagon. Here's a list of...
Second in an occasional series For this installment of Impact Players, I didn't have to randomly choose an interview subject because from here on out, the subjects will be nominated by the previous Impact Player. Luis Saenz, Governor Rick Perry's 2006 Campaign Director-turned-contract lobbyist, was nominated by Jay Propes. Just like Propes, Saenz doesn't like being in fro... The dry conditions this weekend sparked massive wildfires in Bastrop County. Firefighters have now contained 80% of the blaze, but an estimated 1,200 acres have burned. (Video from the fire) As a result, Governor Rick Perry activated state resources to help local firefighters. Four Texas Military Blackhawk helicopters, Texas Forest service firefighters and contract aircraft and other heavy equipment are all being used to contain the rest of the flames. "Wildfires burning in Central Texas have destroyed homes and property over the ... Our sister station, WFAA-TV in Dallas does a 30 minute political talk show on Sundays and today it features an interview with Speaker Joe Straus, who was visiting Dallas over the weekend. (See the full show here.)
What Straus said on the issues:
After spending the last few years as a bachelor, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst is opting for married life once again, he confirmed to the Houston Chronicle. (Full story here) Dewhurst and Patricia Hamilton "Tricia" Bivins got engaged over the weekend. Congratulations! (If the name sounds familiar, Bivins is the former wife of former state Senator Teel Bivins.) According to the Chron, Dewhurst, 63, was divorced in 2001 from Tammy Jo Dewhurst, a former model. ...
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
>> Continue reading: 
