05.07.07

Last Day For House Committees On HBs/HJRs & Session Notes

Posted in 80th Legislature, Commentary, Around The State at 12:31 pm by wcnews

Today begins the long list of almost daily deadlines from here to the end of session. Texas Politics links to the calendar here. Vince has more on the deadline, It’s May 7th…Do You Know Where Your Bills Are?.

A moment after the gavel came down for a recent lunch recess, the main doors of the Texas House opened and lobbyists poured into the chamber like salmon swimming upstream.

Members who wanted to avoid them ducked out the chamber’s back doors. Others were quickly collared by lobbyists urging the passage or defeat of legislation.

And on the chamber’s south side, three committees met in hastily called sessions at their chairmen’s desks to vote out bills ahead of legislation-killing deadlines that are coming up this week.

Transportation Chairman Mike Krusee lacked a quorum at the rear of the chamber. So Krusee took several steps down the aisle toward the crowd gathered at the desk of Criminal Jurisprudence Chairman Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg.

“Joe! Joe Deshotel! Raise your hand!” Krusee shouted to Peña’s desk mate.

Rep. Deshotel sat at his own desk, surrounded by Peña’s criminal jurisprudence meeting where a bill on sex predators in nursing homes was being debated. Deshotel, D-Beaumont, was preparing for an expected House debate on dog fighting by watching a brutal video of pit bulls ripping each other up.

Deshotel raised his hand to give Krusee his quorum.

And the sorry way committees work in the Lege, DMN Casts A Critical Eye On The Committee Process. As the Deadline Calendar notes, today’s deadline is not in the house rules but if a bill is not reported out of committee today it has little chance of making onto a calendar.

Last week EOW wrote about Perry’s relevancy.

After reelection, Mr. Perry then, as his first order of business, tried to play to the middle of the political spectrum, that not only doesn’t like him, but doesn’t trust him, by putting for the HPV vaccination order and the scheme to sell the lottery. In the process he ignored those that elected him, the religious and right-wing of his party, virtually nullifying any support he had left, in an attempt to regain any shred of credibility as a governing force.

Yesterday Clay Robison of the HChron had this editorial about Perry trying to get back to base(ics), make himself relevant, before session ends, Perry aims to maintain his relevance.

Since enraging his conservative constituents with his controversial HPV vaccine order, Gov. Rick Perry has been busy rehabilitating his credentials.

Surrounded by a group of conservative parents, legislators and lawyers, he held a news conference a few weeks ago to endorse a bill to ensure that students can express their religious beliefs in public schools.

Then, last week, the governor tossed his political base a double portion of raw meat.

That red meat? Why guns and taxes, of course.

Last, the SAEN, has the latest update on fate of certain legislation (passed, likely to pass, future uncertain, dead or dying) at this point in session, Legislation status.

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