"It has been a long time since we had any vision in this state, and I want to do something about that," Schieffer said. "I am a Democrat - as Sam Rayburn used to say, without prefix, suffix or apology -- and I think it is time we all had a governor."
He's planning on visiting San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley, El Paso and other cities over the next two weeks.
"That's why I think Senator Kirk Watson should raise his sights and run for Governor. I've watched as Senator Watson has emerged as a leader in the state Senate on the issues of most importance to Texans. While staying true to Democratic values, he is a bipartisan pragmatic leader solidly focused on addressing the priorities of all Texans. I intend to lobby Senator Watson to run for governor, and I'll wholeheartedly support him if he does. But if he declines, Democrats should recruit and support someone who, like Watson, is energetic, pragmatic, focused, and smart; and who can fully energize Democratic supporters while also attracting a broad range of independent voters in every region of the state."
VAN DE PUTTE'S FULL STATEMENT AFTER THE JUMP.
]]> Senator Van de Putte authorized the release of this statement today, regarding her plans for the 2010 elections:This was Austin, so the most oppressive thing was the heat... which reached the triple digits. About five hundred demonstrators showed up with "Where's My Vote" and other green signs, some wore bandanas around their mouths to symbolize the systematic communication cutoffs in Iran. Here's some quick video of the protesters marching away from the Capitol.
Austin Rallies For Iran Reform from Elise Hu on Vimeo.
Governor Rick Perry took a tumble on a mountain bike ride Tuesday night and broke his right collarbone, Perry's office says. It happened around 7:30pm near the governor's temporary residence in west Austin. Crews took the injured governor to the ER at Seton Medical Center, where he is getting treated and released.
The governor's schedule for Wednesday has been canceled. He was originally planning to sign the supplemental budget in a ceremony in Galveston. The measure okayed millions to rebuild Hurricane Ike-ravaged UTMB.
Perry is an avid runner and known to take part in his share of triathlons.
This got me thinking -- didn't President George W. Bush injure himself in a mountain biking accident as well? In fact he did, in Crawford in 2005, but got away with a minor ankle injury.
Fake presidents fall, too. President Josiah "Jed" Bartlet of NBC's The West Wing fell off a bike he borrowed from his chief of staff. The press secretary, CJ, had to spin it.
]]>How worried are you about bond ratings?
Anytime something happens in the state that is going to impact our cost of doing business, so we obviously care about it, so yeah, it is a concern.
Will Voter ID be part of a special session call?
When I decide on the date, I'll let you all know what we're going to discuss.
What changed from last week to convince you now that we will need a special session?
The biggest issue out there floating around was the bad advice that some senators got that we could do this by executive order. We have researched that and that was blatantly bad information. So, I think it is important to not get drug down by bad information. That was one bad piece of it that was floatin' around.
A couple of news items for ya, if you haven't already seen them elsewhere.
**State Rep. Wayne Christian, who was publicly sandbagged by Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson for amending a bill to allow his personal beach house to be rebuilt, is hitting back.
"The fight with Commissioner Patterson is unfortunate. The citizens of District 9 have allowed me to serve them for over a decade. I would never betray that trust," Christian writes.I've put the full Christian response in the "extended" area after the jump.
**The responses to Texas Monthly's Ten Best/Ten Worst Legislators are coming in.
1.) State Rep. Debbie Riddle's so-well-written-you-wonder-who-wrote-it response is here.
2.) State Rep Kino Flores questions where the Latinos are on the Top 10 list.
3.) Harold Cook questions the judgement of the listmaker, taking it to TM scribe Paul Burka with this photo
4.) State Sen. Kirk Watson (who made the best list) thanks TM for the mention, calling it "cool and gratifying"
5.) State Sen. Robert Duncan, another best, says it's "nice" and that he's "real pleased".
**Now that the session's over, the news tidbits gleaned from previously embargoed weekly interviews that San Antonio Express-News reporter Gary Scharrer did with Speaker Joe Straus are available for mass consumption. He put the details together in an interesting behind-the-dais piece.
]]> My constituents adamantly believe it is wrong for the "Big Brother" State to take their private property away from them unnecessarily. The battle being fought for beach landowner rights is the same fight timber and pasture landowners face in our district. We have a statewide official who wants to take private property from Texans and the legislature said no.Hurricane Ike devastated our Texas coast and did damage well into our district. None were affected to the extent of those on the Bolivar Peninsula. Hundreds of Texas families found their homes simply wiped off the map. My family was one of those and we do not lose our Constitutional Rights afforded to citizens when I pledge to uphold those rights for my constituents.
When session started, Commissioner Patterson's staff from the General Land Office (GLO) came to my office and provided me with their plan to delay construction permits on all property along miles of beach until the vegetation line grew back. His staff requested I lead and support their legislative agenda because I was directly impacted. In other words, it was proper for me to be a part of the program until I disagreed.
Communication with the GLO continued, and I learned their office has a "temporary vegetation line." I asked, "if people rebuilt using GLO's temporary line, would it honor all environmental concerns and accelerate recovery by up to two years?" The GLO said "yes." My question to the GLO became, "why make these devastated communities wait?"
By using the "temporary vegetation line", construction could resume that would not intrude onto the public beach and still comply with the Open Beaches Act. By using the current "temporary vegetation line", as the legislature has recommended, houses that were too close to the beach water prior to the storm cannot be rebuilt. Thus by following this rule, no property owner can limit public access to the beaches or build too close to the water.
It has been insinuated that I am trying to build my family's house in the middle of the beach. I had to use binoculars to check on my daughters from my deck when they played along the water. Between our home and the water were dunes, cars parked along the dunes, three lanes of traffic, cars parked along the waterfront and enough sand for volleyball games, sunning, and castle-building; all this was used by the public not personal guests! By using the GLO's temporary line as the standard, it will not reduce public access to the beach at all.
Patterson has now admitted about 200 houses cannot rebuild now because of his desire to wait on the grass to grow. Imagine the economic impact 200 houses built in these devastated communities could bring! If each of these 200 houses were rebuilt, it would add about $250,000 per property to the tax roles, for a grand total of about 50 million dollars! This does not include the additional cost savings to the state by preventing the state's purchase of these properties and the continued costs the state would incur by providing the sole maintenance of this frontage properties. Before Ike, frontage property owners shared the responsibility of maintaining the dunes and vegetation because we knew the importance they play as the front line defense of our property and the peninsula.
The Legislature agreed that every legal option should be utilized to protect property owners. Because grass "may/may not" grow on a citizen's property over the next two years is an unjustified use of eminent domain laws that take private property.
The amendment by Rep. Hamilton, approved by the legislature, was not a last minute "secret deal," as alleged. This language was approved months before the session's end by the majority of the House members who represent the Southeast Texas coast and in full cooperation with the Governor's staff. In the end, the decision was made to use the GLO's temporary line and start rebuilding now.
The fight with Commissioner Patterson is unfortunate. The citizens of District 9 have allowed me to serve them for over a decade. I would never betray that trust. I encourage all of my constituents to contact me if they have questions. This is a fight for private property rights, which is what I was elected to do.
Wayne Christian, State Representative, District 9
]]>He's the Galápagos penguin of the Texas Legislature. That rarest of birds--an effective liberal--Watson has adapted, Darwin-style, to the inhospitable habitat of the Republican-dominated Senate. This session he emerged as the thoughtful leader of the loyal opposition, armed mostly with a pragmatic survival instinct.In the battle over reforming the state's insurance regulatory agency, Watson used the Democrats' ability to block debate long enough to win crucial consumer-oriented concessions. Stealth attacks by Senate leadership against his solar energy legislation proved no match for his vigilance.
Watson's name as been tossed around a lot lately to fill the Democrat's statewide roster in the 2010 campaign cycle. Now that the session's over, Watson said he'll take time to think about whether to try for another statewide run, after a failed effort for AG in 2002.
Me: You're name has been tossed around for various statewide offices. When will we know what your intentions are?
Watson: Oh you know -- we're doing this interview when I'm not even a week out of the session. I'm very gratified and it's really neat that people have been talking about me as much as they have. It shows that they're pleased with the leadership I've shown in the Senate. I'll be talking to some people, I'll be doing some research on my own. And- I'm not the kind of guy, I think you know, that spends a whole lot of time worrying these things. I'll make a decision pretty quickly. The good news is I have a gig in the Texas Senate I really enjoy. I think I can make a real difference there. But we'll look at all the possibilities. If there's opportunities there, I'll make the right decision about whether we do something different.
]]>The Combs presser will take place at Austin's Four Seasons at 10am Wednesday.
Combs has previously served as Commissioner of Agriculture, as a state representative from Austin, and as an assistant district attorney in Dallas. She grew up in a ranching family with operations in Brewster County.
"If I understood what happened last night, I would be an absolute genius. I thought I was watching an episode of Lost. I don't understand what they [the senators] were thinking," said Governor Rick Perry, in his post-session press conference.
Perry says he worked with Straus mid-afternoon Monday to come up with the resolution idea that allowed state agencies to stay alive. In Perry's retelling, he thought things were going to tie up just fine. But state Senator Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, clearly wasn't okay with the eleventh hour fix when it reached the Senate later in the evening.
Senators were upset they found out the House adjourned without dealing with the $2 billion in transportation bonds from the lege website, and not House members, as is custom. Straus said there were indeed five House members chosen to inform the Senate they were going to adjourn, but Straus did not know whether those representatives ever made it to the upper chamber with the message.
As for the big question hanging over the capitol -- whether we're headed for a special session -- the Governor didn't rule it out. But he admits: "I don't think anybody's dyin' to come back to Austin."
Austin's not a bad place to be. But for many, the pink dome has probably grown tiresome.
]]>But what of the $2 billion beef? Many questions in the air this morning.
"Tonight's developments in the Texas House and Senate were disappointing," said TXDOT spokesman Chris Lippincott, in a statement. "To the extent allowed by law, TxDOT's employees will continue to operate and maintain the state's transportation system. In the coming days, we hope to have a clearer picture of the legal and financial constraints on our authority to go forward."
]]>As state Rep. Carl Isett, R-Lubbock, was rushing his questioners on the floor in order to take a vote on the sunset safety net bill, state Rep. David Leibowitz, D-San Antonio, began questioning him and after the clock struck midnight, called a point of order for going past the deadline. Straus sustained the point.
Leibowitz then called a privileged motion to adjourn, which Straus put to a record vote. It passed by a safe thirty votes or so. House members are leaving the floor now without having saved TXDOT, Texas Department of Insurance, Texas DPS, TYC and others from being "sunsetted", or abolished.
Have House members triggered a special session to clear up this mess?
Maybe, maybe not. There still is that option that Dunnam, et al, suggested last weekend. Getting two-thirds of the House to vote for a rules suspension to take up and consider particular bills. One in particular could be the safety net bill. Either way, lawmakers have just 24 hours to work it out. The Star Telegram reports D's forced the situation:
Several members said a group of Democrats decided to go through with the bold maneuver as a way to force other issues to get a vote tomorrow, most notably pushing for an expansion of the Childrens Health Insurance Program (even though Perry has already vowed to veto that measure).
One thing is clear, however. Since the House never voted on HB 300, the TXDOT sunset standalone bill, state Senator John Carona, R-Dallas, won't have to filibuster it in the Senate. That puppy's already dead.
]]>When the chess game is over, the pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, kings, and queens all go back into the same box. We will recover and work together again, and the Senate will survive.
Unfortunately, the practical effects of HB 300 for Texas transportation are negative and still must be addressed. For example, in the absence of the Local Option Transportation Act, other provisions included in either the House or Senate bill but discarded by conferees such as Local Participation take on new importance and should have been adopted. Had I known LOTA would be stripped, I would have pressed that point.
If HB 300 dies, the only real loss is the enabling legislation to issue Proposition 12 bonds. Frankly, given the debt service entailed over time, there is a good argument to putting off this debt until we can pass legislation reducing or eliminating transportation diversions, legislation I filed, but mysteriously came to a stop in the House.
"At 250 pounds, I don't know if I'm ready to filibuster," said Carona. "But I feel this is important enough an issue."
At issue is the local option transportation funding measure, which allows communities the option to vote for gas tax or vehicle fee increases to pay for new roads or rail in their own communities. The Senate passed the measure twice and the House voted it down once. In the end-of-session time crunch, it was tacked onto the TXDOT Sunset bill by the Senate and then stripped by the House.
House Transportation Chair Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, said House members "just aren't ready for it" because it is seen as a tax increase and the House wasn't willing to take a vote on the measure.
Carona says House members "lack courage" and voters should replace them if they aren't even willing to take a vote on a measure which he says is critical to meet transportation needs in Texas.
Now he's ready to torpedo the entire TXDOT sunset because he views local option as the most important measure in it.
"I am inspired by the memory of Bill Meier, who from the desk right behind where I sit today, talked for 43 hours. Let's see how I do," Carona said.
We'll see if he indeed talks the talk.
]]>A two-thirds majority was required to return McLeroy to his post, so he needed the support of 21 senators. The R to D split in the Senate is 19-12. All 19 Republicans voted yes for McLeroy, all Democrats voted no, except for state Senator Eddie Lucio, D-Brownsville, who abstained.
During a sprawling speech which included scientific formulas and criticism of the fallacy of McLeroy's foes, state Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, compared the McLeroy to Albert Einstein. His argument was this: Einstein questioned then-modern theories in science and then made new discoveries. McLeroy also questions science by calling global warming "hooey". There's nothing wrong with questioning accepted theories.
"When we stand up here and ridicule a man who says he doesn't accept the current Darwinian theory of evolution, or that he says in an impolitic way that global warming is a bunch of hooey, he is not necessarily on the fringes of historical and scientific thought," said Ogden.
The outnumbered Democrats won a rare battle to keep McLeroy away from the chairmanship. Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin, summed up his argument this way:
"Education is far too important than to be little more than a front in ideological, cultural and political battles. There are real repercussions that will be tragic for our children today and cataclysmic for our state tomorrow," said Watson, in an impassioned speech.
"Leaders must lead. Dr. McLeroy has proven conclusively that he is less concerned with leading the board than he is in fighting the battle. Members let us leave him to his battle," Watson said.
It's not clear why McLeroy was even brought to the floor for a vote given his lack of necessary support. But even the Senate President, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, seemed a bit surprised he was busted. At first, after saying the vote was 19-11, Dewhurst proclaimed that the confirmation passed. You could then hear voices of protest from the gallery and the floor. After a couple "uhhhh's" and consulting with the parliamentarian, Dewhurst properly announced the confirmation had failed.
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