Committees — Winners and Losers
The big winners, of course, were the ABCs. Each of the eleven received a chairmanship. Six are on Calendars.
The chairs:
Pitts/Appropriations: as expected
Cook/Environmental Regulation: A story made the rounds yesterday that he wasn’t happy, but he lives in an area that is affected by coal plants and cement plants, and he has a green majority that can take the committee in a new direction. I think he’ll grow to like it.
Geren/House Administration: as expected
Keffer/Energy Resources: as expected
Kuempel/Licensing and Procedure: very interesting appointment. He’ll have to deal with gambling.
Solomons/State Affairs: This session, Solomons will be at the front mike and Phil King will be at the back mike.
The Craddick D’s did not fare well:
–Dukes is back on Appropriations
–Pena lost his chairmanship but is on Ways & Means
–Dutton lost his chairmanship. He’s on Corrections and Pub Ed
–Edwards wasn’t around last session. He’s on Appropriations
–Flores lost his chairmanship but is on Appropriations
–Giddings lost her chairmanship but is on Appropriations
–Guillen lost his seat on Appropriations (vice-chair) and is on Border & Intergovernmental Affairs and Transportation. Border doesn’t do anything, and Transportation doesn’t matter much when there is only one major highway in Starr County. Big loser.
–T. King lost his chairmanship. He is on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism and Natural Resources. At least these are useful in a rural district.
–McClendon got the San Antonio exemption from Craddick D punishment. She has a chairmanship (Rules and Resolutions) and seats on Appropriations and Transportation.
–Turner is not a happy camper. The former speaker pro-tem used his seniority to get on State Affairs, but he is not on Appropriations. His other committee is Business and Industry. He doesn’t have a portfolio for his pet issues such as CHIP.
Readers will recall that the Craddick D’s worried that the mainstream Democrats would seek retribution against them for their apostasy, despite assurances to the contrary. The fate of the Craddick D’s, above, suggests that they had good reason to worry.
Who else is in the penalty box?
–Leo Berman. Stripped of chairmanship of Elections, no longer on the committee.
–Warren Chisum. Out as chairman of Appropriations. Back on Environmental Regulation, which he once chaired. The man who likes to impose his morality views on others will have lots of chances to do so when alcohol and gambling issues come before Licensing & Administrative Procedures.
–Joe Crabb. Paid the price for his treatment of Democrats during 2003 redistricting. He’s on Agriculture & Livestock.
–Dan Gattis. Ran for speaker. Didn’t win. Won’t be on the Appropriations conference committee this year. He’s on Business and Industry and Technology, Economic Development, & Workforce. He did want to serve on Technology. I don’t know what happened here, but Gattis must have really made somebody mad. This is a lost session for him, on the way to the Senate.
–Phil King. No surprise here. Public Enemy #1. Lost his chairmanship of Regulated Industries; now sits on Ways & Means and Public Safety.
–Jose Menendez. I don’t get it. On day one, he was close enough to Straus that he gave the nominating speech for speaker. Now he is off Appropriations and on Licensing & Administrative Procedures and State Affairs. What did he do to deserve this?
–Geanie Morrison. Lost her chairmanship of Higher Ed to Dan Branch and won’t have any influence at all.
–Beverly Woolley. Bounced from chairmanship of Calendars. Ended up on Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence and Pensions, Investments, & Financial Services. Due for a long exile.
Other members worth commenting about:
* Alma Allen. Good for Straus for giving her a chance to shine. She is a former State Board of Education member.
* Bonnen. Frankly, I’m surprised that he got a chairmanship (Land and Resource Management). He was a very controversial chair of Environmental Reg with little patience for the other side. But he is a good legislator and a shrewd observer of the process. He may go from the frying pan into the fire if his committee gets Eminent Domain.
* Burnam. Free at last. He made it to Environmental Reg.
* Coleman. As with Dunnam, seems underutilized as chair of County Affairs. How does that employ his talents?
* Y. Davis. Said to be upset over Urban Affairs chairmanship, thereby justifying her nickname (Why-Vonne). Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
* Dunnam. This is the guy who held the Democrats together and all he gets is seats on Environmental Reg and Transportation? Is Straus trying to prove to the Republicans that Dunnam doesn’t own him? At least he got a Select Committee on the stimulus package.
* D. Howard. Higher Ed is a good appointment for Austin; Culture, Recreation, and Tourism not so good. Underutilized.
* Gallego. Well, Criminal Jurisprudence needed a good lawyer to lead it, but Straus swept Appropriations clean of anyone who had ever served on the conference committee before.
* Isett. Appropriations and Insurance. More importantly, he is chair of Sunset. Will he get to handle the bills?
* Kolkhorst. She was with Gattis, yet she landed on her feet with a great chairmanship, Public Health, AND a seat on Calendars.
* Madden/McReynolds. This is a great pairing, similar to Eissler/Hochberg on Public Ed. I’m glad to see McReynolds, a thoroughly decent man, rewarded with a chairmanship, but he and Madden will work together smoothly.
* Otto. Appropriations and Ways & Means. Straus made full use of talent here.
* Martinez-Fischer. I thought he would do better (vice-chair of Insurance, Natural Resources, Local & Content). No San Antonio bonus. Ditto Castro.
* D. Miller. He beat Nathan Macias and was an ABC ally all the way. A very early pledge to Straus, he was rewarded with Appropriations and Natural Resources — great appointments for Comal County. Got the suburban San Antonio bonus.
* Patrick. Like Donna Howard, she is going to be an excellent member. Straus duplicated Craddick’s appointments of Public and Higher Ed.
* Pickett. Great appointment as chair of Transportation. He’s a reformer who is trusted by the members on the subject he’s in charge of. Kudos to former Transportation chairman Clyde Alexander for the choice.
* Ritter. Good member. Bad choice for chairman of Natural Resources. No East Texan should chair that committee. No interbasin transfer this session.
* T. Smith. Proof that Straus did not have an enemies list. Smith was a former ABC who jumped aboard the sinking Craddick ship. He also had several difficult conversations with Straus. Here he is, chairman of Elections. Why? Because he was a good member with no ax to grind.
* Strama. Skillful younger Democrat who deserves his shot (Chairman of Technology, Economic Development, and Workforce).
* Thompson. A legend in her own time. A full dance card (Insurance, Licensing & Administrative Procedures vice-chair, Local & Consent chair), and she has earned it.
* Villarreal. Another recipient of the San Antonio bonus: seats on Appropriations and Ways & Means.
Summing up, I think Straus kept his promises. He has a penalty box, but it’s about one-tenth the size of Craddick’s. He rewarded members based on talent. He has given just about everybody a chance to do what they are big enough to do. That’s what the House is supposed to be like.
Tagged: chairs, house committee assignments, paul burka, speaker joe straus.
Frank Perez says:
Burka, I betcha that Turner is so ticked off, he’ll try to run for Speaker in 2011 (assuming the Dems get the Texas House back in 2010).
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houtopia Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
Betcha Rep. Turner is a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.
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Anonymous says:
ATTENTION: Shoal Creek Hospital personnel, lock up the computer room, Frank Perez/MTD is back on the loose!
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Tellnitlikeitis says:
Actually Warren Chisum did just fine. He hung with Craddick ’til the end. He kissed his Appropriations chairmanship goodbye.
He says Straus was fair with him…and is better off than he would have been had Sraus been unfair.
Another winner: Tom Craddick.
He got what he wanted – which is better treatment than Pete Laney got from Craddick.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
I don’t know, Tellnitlikeitis, when I saw Chisum in the hallway about an hour ago, he looked depressed and demoralized.
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
I didn’t look at him; I spoke with him.
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paulburka Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Craddick’s treatment of Laney was a disgrace.
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paulburka says:
To Shoal Creek Hospital personnel and others:
How can he win? If the Democrats demanded his head now — and I don’t know that they did — why would they feel any differently in 2011?
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Glenn Smith says:
Isn’t it a bit nutty, cranky even, to blame “mainstream Democrats” for Strauss’s committee decisions regarding former Craddick Ds?
It’s the only boldfaced comment in your post. A post about what Strauss did.
I can see how some on Strauss’s team or lobbyists either close to Strauss, claiming to be close to Strauss, or courting Strauss would tell you that, ’cause spreading a little unrest is in their interest. And then they could brag to the Man about how they’re helping place the blame somewhere else (and maybe even divide Democrats, making a 74-vote block less of a threat).
Since I know no mainstream Democrats did this, I have to ask, who would have an interest in creating unease among House Democrats by telling you this? Not House Democrats.
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paulburka Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Glenn — I’m only saying this: The Craddick D’s were worried about retribution. They lost their chairmanships. When something that people feared would happen actually does happen, there is often fire behind the smoke.
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Glenn Smith Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 12:36 am
OK, but, generally speaking, those known as Craddick Ds were among the last to pledge to Strauss. Meaning their assignments might reflect their late arrival — not retribution (from members with no power of appointment) for previous actions or disagreements.
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Scooby Dooby Doo Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Paul,
Glenn’s point is a good one. The problem with the bolded section of your post is not the supposition that the Craddick Ds were punished (although that’s debatable).
The problem is your completely unsupported implication that “mainstream Democrats” were somehow the drivers of this punishment. You yourself have questioned the placement of people like Dunnam, Coleman, Gallego and Martinez Fischer. Do you really think if those Members DIDN’T have the ability to put themselves in better positions, that they somehow DID have the stoke to punish the Craddick Ds?!
You’ve been spun pretty hard on this, Paul. And it appears you bought it hook, line and sinker.
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Distinguished Gentleman says:
I’m shocked at Corte keeping his chairmanship. Corte was so pro-Craddick that he went so far as to simply give Craddick a nice office on the first floor of the Capitol and then he (Corte) went down to E2 to be in Straus’ former office.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
A nice olive branch for the fellow legislator from San Antonio.
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paulburka Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Good for Frank Corte for giving Craddick his office. I think that deserves a chairmanship.
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Yellow Armadillo says:
How is it punishment for Menendez to get Licensing & Administrative Procedures, one of the most sought after committees, and State Affairs, the most sought after committee? I think absent a top chairmanship, he got a great assignment. If Menendez wanted to stay on Appropriations, he had enough seniority to do so, as Riddle claimed a seat with less tenure.
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Tellnitlikeitis Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
You are correct, Yellow Armadillo
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Emeyekaye Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Exactly. If State Affairs is so bad, then why did the House Members with the most seniority request that committee…
Also, Menendez already has a Poker bill filed… which is exactly the right balance of gambling in Texas… it allows for safe card games (games of skill played against other willing participants) and is not a casino bill… heck, we can finally play Texas Hold’em legally if this passes.
so tell me again why is his seat on Licensing and Admin. Procedures is so bad?
overall though, I like your analysis Paul…thanks!
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:21 am
Historically, people have looked down on “Liquor Reg,” as it used to be called. It has been a committee where the members get taken out to lunch in big Suburbans with dark windows. I’m all for poker clubs. LAP is a great committee for raising money. But it isn’t where the battles for the future of Texas are won and lost.
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Emeyekaye Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 10:33 am
With all due respect, unless Texas is able to find another way to print money, LAP is exactly where the battles for the future of Texas will be won or lost.
Perhaps this is one of the unintended (?) consequences of Bullock’s punishment of the Democrats for not standing behind him on school finance. The constitutional amendment required to enact an income tax requires alternative paths to funding basic “survival hierarchy” service needs and possibly education needs…
Future… anyone?
David Siegel says:
I don’t see where the Craddick Ds did so badly. Five of the ten are on Appropriations, another on Ways and Means. There are plenty of the group of 64 who would kill for those appointments.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
All of the craddick d’s who got on appropriations due to seniority appointments, not speaker appointments.
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anonymous Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
You are exactly right.
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jolie Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
IMO, cmte appointments based on seniority are notable in that craddick ignored seniority requests when it suited him.
Phillip Martin says:
I’m confused about this San Antonio “bonus.”
I also think Castro has a nice spot — Vice-Chair of Higher Ed, which has a majority Democrats. With Branch at the helm, that puts him in a position to either be a strong, strong negotiator on higher ed issues w/ Chairman Branch.
After restoring CHIP (which R’s have just given up on trying to stop — Democrats should fight for expansion of CHIP), fixing tuition rates is the highest-priority issue Dems wanted to get leverage on this session. Rep. Castro is in place to help make that happen. Sounds good to me.
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Frank Perez says:
Anon, you’ve NEVER liked me since day 1.
However, the Democrats will get the State House sooner or later.
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Eileen Smith Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Please stop putting that YouTube link in.
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Art Vandelay says:
A couple of additions to the Penalty Box:
Dan Flynn: Gets a seniority appointment to the Pensions committee and is Vice Chair of Border and Intergovernmental Affairs (where he is one of two Republican members).
Charlie Howard: Like Flynn, gets a Vice-Chairmanship of a committee with a vast majority of Democrats. Also like Flynn, one of the more useless members of the House.
Tim Kleinschmidt: Ag & Livestock and Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Not terrible for a rural member, but certainly not stellar committees.
Allen Fletcher: Urban Affairs and Criminal Jurisprudence- both heavy Democratic committees.
Todd Hunter is an interesting choice as Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Chairman, as he is just returning to the Legislature. Ways & Means is also interesting, with Chairman Olivera and a number of strong fiscal conservatives.
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anonymous says:
http://www.wacotrib.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/communities/breakingnews/entries/2009/02/12/waco_legislator_dunnam_to_lead.html
Dunnam has a committee Paul.
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cow droppings says:
the one plus for dunnam is he gets to chair a select committee? Are you kidding Paul? It was an ingenious move by Straus to give him something that looks important, but is total crap…and the smart members and capitol watchers know it.
If there was one Democrat Straus (one “s” on the end Glenn Smithhhhhh…not two) could not reward in the eyes of the R’s it was Dunnam. They all know he is not to be trusted.
But Dunnam gets his committee…even a Democrat majority to it, and then after they vote something out it goes to Approps which is chaired by a Republican. In other words, the select committee doesn’t matter.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Cow droppings — Thank you for telling me that select committees don’t matter. I would never have known that.
That was my point, that the select committee was a consolation prize.
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s*teve Reply:
February 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
After sitting through only 2 of these select cmte hearings, they are worthless. Just another chance for Dunnam to piss people off.
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Anonymous says:
There are a lot of “huh?” appointments,underutilized talent, and favortism…..
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Anonymous says:
Shoal Creek – he’s still at the computer, and it’s not helping Franks Perez/MTD’s recovery and transition back to reality. Please get him back to finger painting or jewelry making class.
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Benevolus says:
Straus did a great job of matching experience/talent with subject matter–and without being vindictive.
He also freed up younger talent, and older talent from the penalty box, giving both a chance to shine.
If two subplots could be gleaned from the assignments, they would be (1) Bryan Eppstein and (2) horsetrack slots. Proponents of both fared better than opponents of both.
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larry says:
Whats up with Delwin Jones getting redistricting? Glad to see he got a chairmanship.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Delwin chaired redistricting in 1971. He drew himself a district and Laney ran against him and beat him. Laney liked Delwin (and vice versa) and, with ironic humor, made him redistricting chairman in 2001.
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Tumbleweed Smith says:
Has anyone noticed Corte’s committee? He’s the only Republican on it. He may be the Chairman, but he is not master of his own destiny or legislation in his own committee.
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I luv Art Vandelay says:
Larry, Delwin Jones will now regale us with stories of the 1971 redistrictng showdown when he was Chairman then – and tried to screw the Dirty Thirty. Long, laborious stories.
But if Straus is still Speaker, he will need to replace Jones in 2011.
In 2001, Jones’ management of the redistricting bill debate was a disaster and he clearly was not up to the job. It was embarrassing the way Craddick and his forces ran rings around Jones.
Delwin will be 87 years old in 2011, let’s hope this Chairmanship is a victory lap of sorts and Delwin is finally put out to pasture.
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Embree Timlin says:
Menendez was offfered but did not want Appropriations vice-chair. Done his time on that committee.
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Distinguished Gentleman says:
How did Todd Hunter get a chairmanship after a protracted absence from the Legislature and after being such a strong Craddick supporter in during the 2008 election season?
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Floozikins Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 8:33 am
T.L.R.
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Anonymous says:
I am so very, very happy that Sly Turner took it in the shorts.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Sylvester Turner is one of the best members of the House. When he was a Craddick D, he got a lot from Craddick, including CHIP expansion. If there were a legislative hall of fame, he’d be a lock for it, on the first ballot.
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Ativa Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
With this reply Paul you show your bias for all things Turner. Guess that is why you dismissed what Solomons (and Straus for that matter) was/were trying to do with the House Rules and favored the Turner spin. Your comment to Eileen earlier that Solomons might be “damaged” because he lost an amendment vote on the House Rules was ridiculous and now we can all see your bias in favor of Turner. Solomons is independent & intelligent and he saw right through what Turner and a a few senior members were doing…lining up to sell themselves to the electric lobby. What has happened in Regulated Industries for the past 6 years has been a disgrace, and not giving Solomons credit for trying to clean it up is unfair to him. But then again, you always seem to underestimate what some of the members try to do if it gets in the way of a “Burka favorite” in the House. I guess you’ll hold the Turner amendment vote against Solomons all session no matter what he does now. Oh, and btw, from what I was told, many of the less senior House members who voted with Turner on the amendment later regretted their vote after thinking about what had happened.
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paulburka Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:04 am
To Ativa –
What happened in the Rules debate could just as easily be read as Solomons trying to get a piece of the action for Business & Industry in case he didn’t get State Affairs chairman.
I agree that Solomons is an independent and intelligent member. But I don’t see how dividing the responsibilities for electric utility regulation cleans up anything. If indeed the electrics are buying members, it just doubles the number of members they can buy.
I’m not privvy to what went on in Regulated Industries during the past six years, except that I know that nobody trusts Phil King. I also know what Sylvester Turner accomplished for CHIP and other issues last session. But because he did it with Craddick’s help, he suffered the consequences.
I think the amendment was the right thing to do, and evidently the House members thought so too, nothwithstanding your closing comment, which is strictly heresay.
anon says:
Agree with others that Paul is selling LAP (in a gambling session) and State Affairs (back to mega status) short. If you are on those two committees, you are where the juice is. Just being a rank and file member of appropriations is over-rated.
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paulburka Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:07 am
I don’t sell State Affairs short. That’s a great appointment. LAP is another matter. It’s one of the dark alleys of the Legislature.
As for membership on Appropriations being overrated, you can do more with one rider in Appropriations than you can do with five bills in most other committees. The budget is the whole ball game.
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Anon says:
I’m with Yellow and others. Menendez got a promotion.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:29 am
Menendez got what he wanted, but you will never convince me that LAP is a promotion.
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effigy2008 says:
Distinguisheg Gentleman……….Todd Hunter faired well because Straus Cheif of Staff-Clyde Alexander and Hynter are very close friends……..when choosing offices in the old Capitol days they always selected offices next to each other……Alexander not only pulled Hunter from the penalty box but put Hunter above many other deserving legislators with a chairmanmship and a seat on House Insurance.
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Im just saying says:
My state rep, John Davis, (anyone know him?) joined Turner in getting it in the shorts.
10-year veteran is now on County Affairs and Public Health. No longer on appropriations. No longer on Health Committee. He was the one that screwed up CHIP.
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Anonymous says:
Let the revolution beign! The conservatives in the House should spend the entire session distancing themselves from the speaker and his far left appointments.
This is a joke! The Ds have played the ABCs like a drum. The ABCs are in a position to totally fail. All the power is consolidated in few individuals but the house is so closely divided that nothing can get done unless a coalition is built.
In walking the halls today there are so many members who are upset I bet the olny coalition that can be had right now is a motion to remove the speaker.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
You can say that again!!!
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Don't Mess w/ Pink Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 11:38 am
Anonymouse, you do realize you’re talking to yourself.
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paulburka Reply:
February 12th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Oh, I think this is a wonderful idea. Let the revolution begin. You will find that there are around 120 members, at least, who are pleased, and around 30 who aren’t.
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Existensially Smug says:
Some funny math, Burka re: Senfro and Martinez-Fischer.
Martinez-Fischer = 69th in seniority
Thompson= 2nd
She got insurance,local and VC LAP
He got VC insurance, local and natural resources
Seems like 60+ of seniority ought to earn you more than a bump in Calendars. I’ll take his promotion over hers anyday…
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For the Record says:
The big winner in the committee assignments is Representative Richard Raymond of Laredo. As vice-chair of the Appropriations Committee, he is guaranteed to be in the conference committee that will hammer out the final budget. As capitol insiders know, a spot on the conference committee is highly coveted. His previous six years of service on the committee provide him with insights that will allow him to successfully navigate through the budgetary process in this economic climate. As was evident by his opposition to the 2003 budget, he will not support draconian measures that will hurt or alienate the most vulnerable in our society. Chairman Pitts and Vice-Chairman Raymond will do what is right for Texas.
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Di Hydrogen Oxide says:
I agree with you, paul. Ritter is a dangerous chair for Natural Resources.
San Antonio just got screwed by its native son, Straus. Ritter and Frost will seek retibution from the SB 3 debacle last session.
Right now, San ANtonio needs someone who will fight Ritter and someone whip smart & independent. Corte is too close to Craddick and developers.
Dollars to donuts, I bet Rep. Fischer will get to the Speaker’s ear faster than Ritter or anyone else. All growing urban communities better hope so atleast.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 2:54 am
Paul and Di Hydrogen Oxide,
“Right now, San ANtonio needs someone who will fight Ritter and someone whip smart & independent. Corte is too close to Craddick and developers.”
Wait the he’s to close to the developers of the reservoirs that San Antonio wants to fight for the reservoirs that San Antonio wants?
There is no danger in Natural Resources you people are crazy the Speaker and McCall won’t let and “retribution” happen. Beyond that Ritter and Frost are not the retributive types anyone familiar with the house knows that.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:17 am
I never suggested that Ritter would engage in retribution, just that East Texans in general oppose transfer of water out of the region, even though they have more than they can possibly use. The future of urban Texas depends upon being able to get water from East Texas to Dallas and Houston.
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Jose Menendez says:
Paul, I feel great about my assignments! While it is NOT true, that I was offered Vice-Chair of Appropriations, I have said publicly that I was not interested in serving a fourth consecutive session on Appropriations. Last session Joe Straus was SA’s only Rep. on Reg.Indust. SA’s city owned Elect. Utility (CPS) provides my constituents power at some of the Lowest rates in the state and funds a large portion of the City’s budget. I think LAP will hear important bills, and is a committee, I asked for, as well as, State Affairs (have you seen the members who’ve used their seniority to be on these committees).
I hope you can see why I feel that I have been promoted by Speaker Straus.
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paulburka says:
Jose –
State Affairs and LAP are both great fundraising committees. I see the appeal of State Affairs. It has some of the strongest members in the House. Aside from fundraising, I don’t see the appeal of Licensing. I’d go crazy dealing with booze and betting all session. Enjoy. — pb
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Jose Menendez Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Paul,
I can see that the issues could become pedantic but at some some point we are going to have to deal with the fact that our State budget needs more revenue and many of my constituents are asking me why we keeping letting so many Texas dollars continue to flow out of the state into our neighboring states casinos? I think the time has come to let Texans vote on if and where we should allow gambling in Texas. Given the economic crisis we’re in, the development and construction phase alone would be an economic generator for the State. A casino in Galveston could help jump start necessary investments in the rest of the city.
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anonymous Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 4:48 am
Yes, let us offer our citizens even more ways to lose money during these difficult economic times.
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Emeyekaye Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 11:25 am
… yet another “conservative” who wants to save the citizenry by making their actions illegal, fining them, and jailing them.
Thanks for nuttin!
paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:01 am
Jose — You won’t find any argument with me about casino gambling in Galveston. That’s my home town.
To Anonymous –
If you can lose money doing nothing except watch your 401K disappear, why not lose it while you’re having fun?
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anonymous Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Paul, that is a good remark. I am not sure that a government with the responsibilities of helping the least among us should encourage them to lose money. The lottery and bingo games already do that. I don’t have a problem with people gambling; I just am not sure that is the proper role of government.
anon Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Paul,
You cannot be serious about Galveston?… Just remember your drive through Mississippi….. Do you think we need that here?
Emeyekaye says:
Go Jose!
I like your style….
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Brown Bess says:
Huh, pro-Craddick Vickie Truitt retained her Chair, and even got a promotion of sorts.
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paulburka Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Truitt did not deserve to keep her committee. She was antagonistic toward Straus. I think the reason that she got a committee is that she was a member of the weakest (in terms of talent) demographic group in the House: Republican women:
Betty Brown
Angie Chen Button
Myra Crownover
Patricia Harless
Linda Harper Brown
Susan King
Lois Kolkhorst
Jody Laubenberg
Geanie Morrison
Diane Patrick
Debbie Riddle
Vicki Truitt
Beverly Woolley
Truitt is a clear #2 on the list. Crownover could be a chairman. Harless, King, and Patrick aren’t ready yet but have bright futures. The rest….?
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Semper Fi says:
Col. Corte, a Marine, reportedly said to Craddick before giving him his office, “Marines don’t leave their own lying on the field of battle.”
Now that’s leadership.
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Semper Why Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 9:15 am
So, Craddick was a Marine? He was of military service age during the Vietnam war, so I am sure he did serve in the military as all good conservatives do.
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Spiro Eagleton Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
You are a tool “Semper Why.” Go back to the Burnt Orange Report. They only like veterans when they can run them for office as liberal Democrats.
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Semper Why Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
Spiro, judging from your simple minded hostility, I guess the answer is no. Why is it that the right wing cannot answer with facts instead of resorting to attacks? By the way, since you are such a “patriotic” type, I suppose you are outraged by Pete Sessions saying that the GOP should be more like the Taliban? My money says that you probably thing Sessions is a great and patriotic leader. Keep on talking because you only help get more Democrats elected. Thank you for your support!
slick Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
I wish Corte felt this level of dedication to the people of Texas — he’s a moralistic partisan, and will never be able to exceed his C+/B- level in the House until he proves himself bigger than his reputation. Nice gesture, but he’s maxed out in my opinion.
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Spiro Eagleton says:
I agree. Corte did a noble thing in giving up his office. Semper Fi.
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harley says:
Paul thanks for recognizing that Jim McReynolds is “A thoroughly decent man, rewarded a chairmanship” he is one person that might put the well being of the state above personal gain – he is my representative -
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Anonymous says:
A quick glance at Appropriations shows that a majority of the committee members were Craddick loyalists–in a huge budget year. Wonder if the committee can pass a budget that the full House can also pass. Going to be dicey.
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anon says:
Paul, I resent your label of Public enemy #1 for Phil king. There are still a lot of conservatives in this state who really appreciate the work Phil did on redistricting and social issues. Give the guy some respect. He is not afraid to bleed for a cause. Very few reps serve sacrificially like him.
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slick Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
You don’t deserve respect for simply playing to your base, on either side of the aisle. House members who have stroke and make a difference are the ones who can build trust and coalitions to get things done. Phil King hasn’t displayed these skills, even when he had the opportunity to do so with the blessing of the leadership.
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paulburka says:
Phil King is a very able member in terms of intelligence and talent, but few of his colleagues trust him. The shenanigans on the TXU bills last session were an embarrassment. I said he was public enemy #1 because he was viewed as a possible heir to Craddick, or a leader of the counterinsurgency, in the same way that Dunnam was public enemy #1 to the Craddick forces. That designation comes with grudging respect.
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Anonymous says:
Ok seriously…I am so tired of Conservatives mad about the large number of liberal Democrats in power positions and Liberals claiming that these positions are misleading, as they are not in the most powerful positions. You people have to realize that what we are seeing is the beginning of a new kind of government.
To Conservatives: You guys are still in control. Despite the 2 vote margin, you have retained control of most of the committees. Smile. No need to raise your blood pressure over a few chairmen given to the people that helped Straus gain power.
To Liberals: This is an improvement. Democrats are in position to get across their key issues. It may not be true bipartisanship, but considering the fact that most people did not think we would be able to compete until 2018, you should be happy. Stop threatening to turn the house into a repeat of previous sessions. The only people that want this are those left in the cold out of chairs, and its definately not what the people of Texas want.
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Anon says:
Let’s be clear on Todd Hunter. This is the same committee, with Judiciary added, that Todd Hunter led in the mid 1990s when he was a Democrat. Hunter led tort reform efforts there and got great reviews from almost everyone (both libs and conservatives) for his even handed approach. SMART MOVE by both Clyde Alexander and Joe Straus. It also helped deflect criticsm of an anti Craddick bias because Hunter stuck with Craddick until he released his pledges. Obviously the posters about Hunter haven’t been around too long because he’s one of the state’s top experts on insurance thus the insurance committee and God knows we need a couple of good insurance experts this year with all the issues that will face Texas.
All that being said, Hunter was a strategic choice for Straus and team, probably one of the smartest moves of what was overall a darn good list of committee chairs.
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slick Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Seems all of his so-called expertise on insurance issues hasn’t done much good for us previously (or tort reform, for that matter), considering our national rankings and Texans having to pay exceedingly high insurance rates. Now, if you’re State Farm or Allsnakes, you probably love it . . .
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Frank Perez says:
If Turner gets some useless spot on a committee on the Texas House, does anyone else think he’s going to leave for Sheila Jackson-Lee’s House seat IF she does go to the US State Dept to be with her BFF Hillary (ugh) ?
Anon, how long do you think the honeymoon with Straus will last as Speaker, because it ain’t going to last forever once controversial issues like the racist Voter ID bill Dewhurst is pushing for comes to the legislature again.
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Spiro Eagleton Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Frank,
Please go take your medication now.
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Anonymous says:
Turner’s committees assignments have already been announced, Frank Perez/MTD. That’s what this entire comment stream has been about.
Pill time, take your pill and get to your basket weaving class.
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Ben Wright says:
El Paso assignments are really interesting. Look at the too rookies Moody, an anti-Craddick from the beginning who ousted a Craddick plant and Marquez, a suspected Craddick-D who presumably jumped on the Straus bandwagon late. Moody gets Criminal Jurisprudence and Borders – he’s a prosecutor and lives next to Mexico – a good haul allowing him to work towards re-election in a 50-50 district. But Marquez got Rules, County Affairs and Corrections. When you compare that to what Moody got, and what the rest of the EP delegation got -Appropriations, Calendars, Licensing (ie Tigua gambling) and a Chairmanship – I think that puts her in the penalty box
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cyrus says:
Art:
“Tim Kleinschmidt: Ag & Livestock and Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. Not terrible for a rural member, but certainly not stellar committees.”
No reason to groom this guy for anything beyond his limited comfort zone, as he rode in on piles of Craddick’s money and this will likely be his only session. He’s an irrelevant back-bencher.
As for Hunter, yes, he was so even handed on tort reform – just look at the results. He’s an expert on nothing more than carrying water for an already over-protected insurance industry, while Texas still leads the nation in uninsured children.
I can see why Straus did it, but let’s stop trying to polish this turd. Bad for Texans, nice for insurance companies, and that’s all there is to it.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
your assessment of Tim Kleinschmidt is dead wrong. He knows more about water than about one or two incumbents. He knows utility issues because of decades negotiating those deals for cities. He knows insurance.
He is country smart: for you sanctimonious liberals that means he doesn’t wear his IQ on his sleeve or SAT score on a name badge. But take him on and you better be prepared.
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Distinguished Gentleman says:
Wasn’t Bonnen a Craddick loyalist to the very end? Why on Earth did Straus put Bonnen back as a committee chair?
And a number of the chairs are now chairing committees that they were not even members of in past sessions!
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Vince Reply:
February 13th, 2009 at 11:19 pm
That is an excellent question, D.G. Bonnen was not even on that committee before. I think we’ll learn his motives soon enough, though.
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anonymous Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Bonnen is a longtime Eppstein client–and very pro-slot machine expansion. His wife works for lobbyist Robert Miller, who represents the Fertitta family interests (read: Sicilian-American family with restaurants and casinos who’s practically bought Kemah and the island of Galveston for gambling expansion).
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Dennis Bonnen Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Just for factual correction: I have not been a client of Bryan Eppstein since after the primaries in 2000 and my wife has not worked for the firm of Locke Liddell since 2006. Also, I have never spoken with the Speaker nor any member of his team regarding my position on slots. I am happy to be chairing L&R for all of the coastal issues that come through this committee. I know it is interesting to speculate (sometimes with inaccurate facts) on why certain appointments were made, but the important thing now is to work together and make this a successful session.
paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I would urge commenters to refrain from unfounded personal attacks on members and their spouses. The same goes for gratuitous comments like “Sicilian-American.”
Anonymous says:
T. Smith = “a good member with no ax to grind”
What happened to the other Smith?
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Distinguished Gentleman Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Yeah, anonymous, I would wonder about that, too. Todd Smith has been a jerk since first elected to the House in 1996.
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
I continue to ask readers to refrain from gratuitous personal insults against members.
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Anonymous says:
Straus should take note of what just happened to the RINO Speaker in Tennessee. He was thrown out of his own caucus for siding with the liberals.
I hope there will be a new R caucus chair who will take that kind of action. The ABCs don’t have enough votes in the R caucus to stop it.
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Not a chance.
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Anonymous says:
Cyrus is clueless about Tim Kleinschmidt and his district.
He kicked ass last November and it’s a seat that likes to support a good incumbent. He’s also a very effective attorney in trial (although he’s not a trial lawyer).
Just in case some of you have forgotten, but messing with good trial attorneys on the House floor is dangerous to your legislation. Ot have some of you forgotten Steve Wolens and Paul Sadler?
Kleinschmidt will be here as long as he wants and he’s a guy on the way up.
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cyrus Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
TK used insidious race-baiting and outright lies about both his opponent and his stand on groundwater issues. He may be intelligent but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a tool for the insurance and utility lobbies, along with major developers, etc. One look at his finance reports will tell who’s side he’s on.
He’ll reap what he sowed next cycle, be assured of that much. Just because he’s gonna face a stiff challenge doesn’t mean he’s being underestimated. Quite the contrary. He was underestimated last time.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 10:29 am
since you live in 17, I would think you would have noticed the only one who issued attacks on groundwater in the 2008 race was Dippel.
Your charges of race-baiting are based on what exactly? You clearly are a hard-core partisan and have your mind made up. Fortunately, most voters give their new rep a chance.
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cyrus Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
Well, yeah of course Dippel attacked on groundwater issues, and Kleinschmidt wanted to keep quiet on it, since it’s KLEINSCHMIDT WHO IS LEASING HIS OWN WATER RIGHTS TO WHOLESALERS. He’s just fine with allowing more groundwater to be pumped out of a district that is currently dealing with crippling drought while it’s water needs continue to grow especially in Bastrop Co. Now local GCDs are having to deny new well permits in Bastrop Co. due to neighboring counties (like LEE, TK’s home base…) overpumping Carrizo-Wilcox and the minor aquifers that serve the area.
Kleinschmidt’s reply when confronted about it? Stammering deer-in-the headlights looks before he stated obtusely that he had to sell his groundwater “in order to protect it”. Then he turned around and preposterously tried to reassure everyone that he was gonna protect our water. Yeah, thanks, Tim. Bang-up job so far.
Kleinschmidt was given low-profile assignments in order to keep under the radar – because the GOP knows he’ll be targeted next cycle and they don’t want him to have to stick his neck out very far. It’s to TKs own benefit that he’s NOT on any ctte dealing with water, as it’ll allow him to keep his nose relatively clean on the issue for the time being. {Perhaps he was also shorted because he backed the wrong horse for speaker, but I would imagine that was a minor concern. He’s either being protected or disrespected by his own party; I suspect it’s a little of both.
As for race-baiting, the mail pieces were clear: babbling about border security and voter ID, and leveraging rural animosity toward Obama by trying to tie Dippel to him somehow. He and the RPT attack dogs played on irrational fears and ignorance. He won’t be allowed to coast on that.
cyrus Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 2:39 pm
and for the record, I’m intimately familiar with Kleinschmidt’s district, thanks. I live in it.
“Country smart” only reveals insecurity, at any rate. Plenty of “country folks” out here are smart enough to know what this guy is about, and how he managed to get elected. There aren’t many ‘liberals in 17, but there are plenty of Democrats. His district is plenty competitive (one of very few left) and he won’t slipping under the radar while he tries to get comfortable. We’re watching every move he makes.
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Paul says:
If Sylvester Turner weren’t peeved at someone, I’d check to make sure that the pod people hadn’t taken over his body. The guy is a joke.
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Tx patriot says:
At least Gallego did not make appropriations. No more pork for that junior college in Alpine. And “a good lawyer” come on Paul!T
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Gallego had the seniority to be on Appropriations if he wanted it.
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Tom Sewell says:
Phil King is very strong, very effective. Unfortunately for Burka, he’s not influenced by liberal media. King would receive a high mark from any neutral observer; Burka is not. The far left despises King because he is heavy in the attention to detail dep’t and is one of the few Republicans who can beat the Democrats at their own game.
Nothing wrong when the Democrats gerrymander, politicize the U.S. Census, wholly fabricate corporate “compliments” of their pork stimulus. When guys like King stop them in their tracks, they become “public enemy.”
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Anonymous Reply:
February 14th, 2009 at 1:59 am
How strong a committee is Business and Industry?
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
To Tom Sewell –
This is a stupid comment: “The far left despises King because he is heavy in the attention to detail department ….” So, he’s heavy in the attention to detail department, but he gets his own bills killed by points of order that his staff couldn’t scrub? King’s problems start and end with one fact: His colleagues do not trust him.
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John Johnson Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 7:01 pm
Do you think that Dunnam’s squashing of King’s bill on a point of order on the last night of the last session was not contrived? I honestly feel that they were both working toward this end.
When you look at the big picture, this makes sense to me. At this point, I think that both were on the same team.
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John Johnson says:
Phil King, in my estimation, is not a leader. He is, however, a good soldier … and a smart soldier … one of Tom Craddick’s top soldiers.
His problem comes from using his intellect to take whatever stance and position he is told to.
He did this wholeheartedly last session and was rewarded handily by the electricity companies and their PAC’s … all friends of the Speaker’s. I doubt many of Mr. King’s colleagues respect him much, and no one in deregulated parts of the state should.
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WilcoR says:
Why did Gattis get such poor committee assignments? Is it because he was quoted in the press as saying Straus was not a conservative after Straus had won? There is a strong rumor going around his district that the local business leaders are trying to talk the millionare former mayor of Round Rock to run for the Senate seat also as they think Gattis is too difficult.
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paulburka Reply:
February 15th, 2009 at 6:20 am
To WilcoR –
Gattis asked to attend the ABCs meeting. He was told that he could, provided that he agree to be bound by the group’s choice. He said he couldn’t do that. Strike one. There was a point, after Straus became the ABC’s nominee, when Straus desperately needed Republican pledges. Gattis had a group of four. Had he gone with Straus then, they would have been on the inside. He didn’t. Strike two. The appointments were strike three.
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Anonymous says:
WilcoR:
My guess is that Dewhurst and Abbott both will urge Steve Ogden to seek one more term to get through redistricting (since it is only a two year term).
After that there is no telling what district’s will look like and Gattis may not have a Senate seat to run for.
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Cyrus' Folly says:
Well, I was raised in the district. I went to school there and my family still farms there.
All my family liked Robby Cook and voted for him – even in 2006. But when he dropped out everybody happily switched to Tim. All my relatives have voted a Republican ticket pretty much for two decades – but always voted for Senator Armbrister. Now they strongly back Senator Hegar. It’s the same way with Tim now.
And Republican kicked ass in HD 17. McCain, Cornyn and all of our statewides just mowed down their Democrat opponents. Typically, when a Democrats retires here, they get replaced by a Republican more and more.
I suspect that Cyrus has some personal axe to grind – either he may have worked for the Dippel campaign or Tim may have made mincemeat of him in a local courtroom (Kleinschmidt is well known for fighting for his clients and the little guy).
Sorry Cyrus, but Tim is a rising star, not a falling one – like most Democrats in this part of Texas.
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cyrus Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Hmm. Trial “attorney”, eh? “Well known for”? Sounds fancy. Can’t wait to see him in action.
And I have to say, I’m curious to hear who these “little guys” are that Tim defended, and against whom he defended them.
Currently, his clients are big oil, big insurance, big contractors, and those who have a a vested interest in acquiring as many groundwater leases as they can within shooting distance of suburban and toll-road corridor development. I’m sure he’ll do his level best for them – but it’ll be mostly with his votes this session. “Rising star” may be a bit over the top for a freshman who’s been shunted onto Ag & Tourism.
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
The Kleinschmidt hype is a little silly. He’s a rural freshman in an urban House. I agree with Cyrus’s last sentence.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 9:54 am
yeah, but cyrus could get his facts straight. Kleinschmidt has not sold a drop of water from his land. Period.
The corridor attack is directly from dippel’s phony campaign attacks on tv. TK even carried Bastrop this time, with presidential turnout, despite losing it last time by 12 points.
He doesn’t control his committee assignments, nor the sour grapes that come from Democrat partisans on austin blogs.
garyfan says:
I haven’t seen Craig Eiland’s name mentioned anywhere. It seems like he’a a big winner in all of this.
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Anon says:
Right garyfan, Eiland is a big winner. It’s well deserved. He should enjoy the ride before the LRB wipes out his district in 2011.
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Too late. Hurricane Ike already wiped out his district.
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Anonymous says:
I can’t figure out why Gary Elkins didn’t get chair of Business & Industry. Meanwhile, Deshotel, a good member of course, gets to chair B&I and wasn’t even a member of B&I before. Why couldn’t Deshotel simply stay put chairing the same committee that he chaired in 2007? That’s just weird.
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paulburka Reply:
February 16th, 2009 at 10:55 pm
I had Elkins on my list as an ABC sympathizer. I was wrong. The ABCs knew better. He played up to them but he stayed loyal to Craddick. Some people get away with it. He didn’t.
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Don says:
Paul: late reading your comments today but you are way off base on Menendez. So far off your thoughts (sic) are not worth commenting on other than to say that given your position it would seem you could do better at accurate composition. May also explain why I don’t bother to read your blogs very often. Glad he set you straight.
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paulburka says:
Don — I apologize for inflicting my pitiful thoughts upon your superior intellect, and I hope that you will continue to spare me the embarrassment of having to read your wisdom.
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Anominous says:
Geezzhhh Don, it is called “BURKA’S BLOG” denote the use of the name as ownership of the blog (but only in a control sense, the boys in Indy pay the bill).
To spare us all any more comments from Don, please start a new comment stream or write something else so we can all pile on and remind you of your ’senior’ moments…
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Frank Perez says:
Anon, I’m NOT crazy you racist son of a bitch and Spiro is probably a KKK member.
No. 2, I’m not a mental patient.
No. 3, you need to be banned from here.
FUCK YOU.
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Eileen Smith Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Way to keep it civil, Frank. Can we lighten up on the accusations of racism?
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paulburka Reply:
February 18th, 2009 at 12:19 am
Eileen — Please block Frank Perez. He has refused to honor my requests that he avoid profanity and other extreme language.
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Anonymous Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
“I’m not a mental patient” just supplanted “I’m not a crook” as the worst, hilarious example of repeating negative charges.
When someone says, “they are not a mental patient” we are left debating what subject? Whether they are a mental patient.
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Will Hartnett Reply:
February 17th, 2009 at 8:41 pm
It’s time for a chill pill. Let’s all wish each other “Salud, Amor, Pesetas, y el tiempo para disfrutarlos!”
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Frank Perez says:
Burka, what do you think Perry needs to do in order to win his 3rd full term as governor in 2010 ?
A. Attack KBH early and often on her record in DC
B. Call her an opportunist
C. Hope that she flip-flops and doesn’t run (she’s done this crap before in ‘02 and ‘06).
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Anonymous says:
Paul, how come Frank Perez isn’t banned from your blog? Use of profanity would be, I would think, proper grounds.
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paulburka says:
I have asked Eileen to see that he is blocked.
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Frank Perez Reply:
February 18th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Burka, I’m SORRY.
I will not be blocked.
VIVA PERRY 2010.
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