The 20th edition of the “Best & Worst Legislators” story is complete. Yesterday we posted, on Twitter and on this blog, the names of the ten Best, the ten Worst, the Bull of the Brazos, and the Rookie of the Year. Today the write-ups for all of these 22 members are available online. The full story, including honorable and dishonorable mentions, furniture, and the very special features that mark the 20th edition of the story will be available in the magazine, which will begin reaching subscribers this weekend, and on our website next week.

I have been involved in nineteen of the twenty previous articles, and I cannot recall a more difficult year when it came to selecting the members on both lists. This was a session without heroes. All the usual jokes about naming 5 Bests and 15 Worsts were on point, for a change. The budget dominated everything, with the result that there were few major bills. I count three: Truitt’s effort to regulate payday loans; Ritter’s attempt to get funding for the state water plan (one of several occasions on which Perry could have exercised leadership for the state’s future but did not); and Keffer’s bill regulating hydraulic fracturing in shale formations. The rest was noise. Particularly cacophonous was the governor’s “emergency” agenda, which consisted of nothing but red meat for Republicans. Republicans got to vote on abortion, immigration, voter fraud, tort reform, and, shades of the fifties, state’s rights. Democrats got to vote no a lot. Even the major Sunset bills didn’t seem to generate any interest. You could look out across the House floor during any debate and see few members engaged.

The House Republican caucus was a curious organism. Its members preferred to vote as a block, as if they lived in fear that their age-old enemies, the Democrats, might perhaps be resuscitated to offer a scintilla of opposition. The group-think voting was reminiscent of the refrain sung by the “Monarch of the Sea” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s HMS Pinafore: “I grew so rich that I was sent/by a pocket borough into Parliament/I always voted at my party’s call/and never thought of thinking for myself at all.” The anemic Democratic caucus, meanwhile, mustered up occasional resistance, mostly with parliamentary maneuvers, but the D’s were so outnumbered, and so demoralized by their election rout, that they never seemed to have a leader or a plan. Not that it would have made any difference. (more…)

Tagged: best and worst legislators, jim keffer, John Zerwas, judith zaffirini, rick perry, robert duncan, Steve Ogden, vicki truitt, wendy davis

At today’s post-Senate session press avail, Sen. Steve Ogden says the final budget document approved by conferees shapes public policy in several big ways, including:

1. “A dramatic shift in policy in how we serve mentally retarded Texans” represented by a $500 million increase in total funds for community services that serve as an alternative to state schools. Ogden credited Sen. Judith Zaffirini for the increase because “it’s been her advocacy all along that got my attention.”

2. “A historic change in TxDOT” funding with substantial new money for  general revenue bonds and establishing a revolving fund that will serve as a bank for highway projects. Ogden said the “bill pattern is very clear and people will be able to see where money will go.”  And, of course, diversions of gas tax revenue have been reduced.

3. Contingent upon passage of a school finance bill, the budget has $1.9 billion for new money for public schools, in an attempt to increase equity, Ogden said.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst also noted the bill also contains money for a pilot program of a revolutionary approach to health care for state retirees, and establishes a fund for new Tier One universities.

Tagged: budget, conferees, judith zaffirini, Steve Ogden, txdot

While Lt. David Dewhurst has not yet referred to committee several bills on the re-regulation of college tuition, the debate on the issue will move forward tomorrow morning in the Senate’s Higher Education Committee.

Sen. Judith Zaffirini has scheduled a hearing on her version, which limits tuition increases to five percent, with consideration of changes in general revenue appropriations. At the same time, Sen. Juan Hinojosa plans to lay out his alternative  bill — which permits only tuition increases to adjust for inflation — as a proposed amendment.

Hinojosa had hoped that his bill would be referred to the Finance Committee, which he co-chairs, but absent a decision from Dewhurst, he’s decided to begin debate in Zaffirini’s venue.

Tagged: david dewhurst, juan hinojosa, judith zaffirini

My colleague Patricia Kilday Hart posted an item yesterday about Democratic reaction to the Ogden rider prohibiting state funds from being used to support embryonic stem cell research. Hart quoted Judith Zaffirini as saying, “[T]here are some members so upset there has been discussion of blocking the appropriations bill if this rider remains in it.”

It won’t work. If the Democrats try to block the budget in the regular session, Perry will have to call a special session, and the appropriations bill will be at the top of the calendar, exempt from the two-thirds rule. What’s more, the Republicans will surely adopt special orders for the 2011 session giving the appropriations bill (and redistricting) a get out of jail free card, as was done for Voter ID bill.

The Senate has become the House: a legislative body in which the majority has the votes and the will to run over the minority. If the Democrats attempt to act as a block, the Republicans will wire around them. The majority will never let the two-thirds rule prevent them from passing their agenda on a partisan issue. There may be some nonpartisan issues on which the two-thirds rule will still matter, but on any partisan issue, it’s dead.

Tagged: embryonic stem cell research, judith zaffirini, Steve Ogden

All was sweetness and light when Steve Ogden convened the Senate Finance Committee at 9:30 a.m. today — but only because the shouting match over a rider making Planned Parenthood ineligible for women’s health care funds took place earlier behind closed doors.

This session, Sen. Bob Deuell is carrying the rider — which has appeared in the budget at Ogden’s insistence every session since 2003 —  prohibiting the Department of Health from giving women’s health care funding to Planned Parenthood clinics.  Democrats, joined by a few Republicans like Kel Seliger who represent some rural areas, balked and promised a protracted debate this morning.

The issue sparked a heated exchange between proponents (Ogden, Deuell and Tommy Williams) and opponents (John Whitmire, Judith Zaffirini, Juan Hinojosa), who argued that the organization doesn’t use the funds for abortion services but does provide women’s health care to under-served and impoverished areas.

After the “dust-up” (as one witness described it), Ogden had the rider pulled from the Article 2 working group’s recommendations — avoiding a public fight today. Meanwhile, Seliger is reportedly working on an amendment that would allow funds to flow to Planned Parenthood clinics if no other facility exists in a geographical area to provide the same health services.

So the issue will likely to resurface soon. Today, peace reigned — at least for public consumption.

Tagged: bob deuell, judith zaffirini, Planned Parenthood, senate finance committee

That’s where Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst now finds himself regarding tuition de-regulation bills, most of which have not been referred to any committee.  The two main proposals are SB 1443 by Sen. Judith Zaffirini and SB 105 by Sen. Juan Hinojosa. Although Zaffirini was quoted in a newspaper story promising a full day hearing in her High Ed committee on all tuition deregulation bills, only hers has been referred there.  Hinojosa, who has 21 co-sponsors for his version, wants his bill referred to Finance. Chairman Steve Ogden told me yesterday he believes the bills should be heard in Finance, because of their fiscal impact on higher education funding. But Zaffirini points out that the issue was handled last session by the Higher Ed subcommittee.

Senate members — and the higher education community — are watching closely: Hinojosa’s bill is a strict freeze on tuition increases while Zaffirini’s ties tuition increases and legislative appropriations together.

After session today, Dewhurst said he hopes to make a decision this afternoon.

Tagged: juan hinojosa, judith zaffirini, Steve Ogden, tuition deregulation

David Dewhurst’s committee assignments late Friday spotlighted the challenge this session presents for Florence Shapiro, whose interest in running for the U.S. Senate places her in perilous territory vis-a-vis the Texas Senate’s presiding officer, who likewise is considering a relocation to Washington. While Dewhurst’s committee assignments shifted authority from Shapiro to Judith Zaffirini for higher education issues, Shapiro’s remained chairman of the Senate’s Education committee. That gives her ample opportunity to build a statewide name for herself by:

1. Revisiting school finance. Shapiro has been working with Senate Finance Chair Steve Ogden to use $1.9 billion set aside in S.B. 1 to improve equity, reduce the Robin Hood effect on property-wealthy school districts and undo an obsolete “target revenue” provision creating pressure on districts to raise taxes. Both Shapiro and Ogden believe the devil this session won’t be in school finance details — they are confident they can pass a bill — but finding adequate money. Shapiro wants to up the ante to $3 billion for basic school funding.

2. Taking on the IRS to keep school construction costs cheap. Texas has hit an IRS-set limit on the school bonds it can back (thereby helping districts secure Triple-A ratings). Shapiro recently sent a letter to Texas’s D.C. delegation, noting that although the state passed legislation in 2007 ” to guarantee bonds up to 5 times the value of the Permanent School Fund, federal regulations limit this capacity to 2 1/2. As Texas has reached this capacity, the state may no longer provide for districts this cost saving measure.” Shapiro’s letter also noted that, while Congress is considering enormous stimulus spending, a simple change in the IRS rule would allow Texas school districts to easily finance badly needed construction projects. By pushing the issue, Shapiro stands to win big in the education community.

3. Proceeding with her bills, filed in November, to freeze higher ed tuition and soften the top ten percent rule. Zaffirini may be the higher ed committee chair, but Shapiro can still weigh in on high profile issues that resonate with voters.

History has not been kind to U.S. Senate candidates who lacked a statewide presence (See: Rick Noriega, Ron Kirk). That would seem to give an automatic advantage over Shapiro to statewide office holders like Railroad Commisioners Elizabeth Ames Jones and Michael Williams, former Secretary of State Roger Williams, as well as potential candidates Dewhurst and Attorney General Gregg Abbott. But Shapiro actually did quite well with her fund raising, last week reporting that she had $375,000 in the bank at year’s end, compared to Ames Jones’ $145,000, and Roger Williams’ $131,000 (of which he donated $100,000 himself). A spokesman for Michael Williams told the Houston Chronicle‘s R.G. Ratcliffe that Williams had not begun fund raising. (None of the Republicans matched Democratic Houston Mayor Bill White’s $640,000 — collected in less than a month from his candidate announcement.)

Shapiro has put together an impressive steering committee including Dallas cowboy legend Roger Staubach, 11 current members of the Texas Senate, former Lt. Gov. Bill Ratliff, retired energy executive Earle Nye. Note: In my original post, I opined the following: “If Dewhurst jumps in the race (and I think he will), he won’t be able to drop his own millions with impunity — as he has in previous state races. A federal rule specifies that if a candidate spends more than $800,000 of his or her own money on a campaign, then other candidates no longer have to abide in the federal $2,300 per individual contribution limit.” An alert reader informed me the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the “millionaire’s rule” last June. So much for an even playing field.

Since Dewhurst probably views her as a likely political opponent, the session will require some gentle navigation on Shapiro’s part. But given her early fund raising success and education community network, don’t count her out.

Tagged: bill ratliff, david dewhurst, earle nye, education, Elizabeth Ames Jones, Florence Shapiro, higher ed tuition, judith zaffirini, kay bailey hutchison, michael williams, roger staubach, Roger Williams, senate campaign, senate committee assignments, senate finance, Steve Ogden, top ten percent