“Senate District 10 partners victorious in preserving&strengthening ’08 district. Lege damage repaired. Thanks to all who supported&believed.”

[tweeted @ 1:33 p.m.]

* * * *

Just pointing out the obvious: The saving of Davis’s seat could take on added significance if senators choose the successor to Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst.

Tagged: david dewhurst, redistricting, Senate District 10, wendy davis

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

[Editors note: an earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that the Texas Association of School Administrators and the Texas Association of School Boards were among the groups that met with Senator Royce West last weekend to discuss the school finance plan. Neither TASA nor TASB were present at a meeting with West. However, sources close to West confirm that the TASB did convey to him that it was ambivalent about the possible benefit of a special session. The post has been corrected.]

The test pilots of the 1950s had a saying for when one of their own messed up and lost an aircraft. The pilot, they said, had “screwed the pooch.” Senator Wendy Davis, her Democratic colleagues, and their consultants have—in the lingo of the test pilots—screwed the pooch.

Davis’ session-ending filibuster on the public school funding formulas was hailed earlier this week as a noble stand for education and a kick in the shins of the possible presidential aspirations of Governor Rick Perry. But after talking with many sources this week who have intimate knowledge of the events leading up to the filibuster, I have a different view of it. Now it looks far more like a pyrrhic victory that increases the possibility that bills will pass that will harm teachers and the Texas Democratic Party for the decade to come. (more…)

Tagged: filibuster, rick perry, senate, special session, wendy davis

After last night’s dramatic play by Senator Davis, the calculation this morning seems to be: Will the Dems fare better or worse in a special? There is still time to undo the maneuver, if six Democrats join the Rs in a 4/5 vote to suspend the rules today. Perry’s spokesperson promised even before Davis pulled the trigger that there would be consequences if the Democrats went nuclear. (You have to wonder if there will also be consequences for Straus and Pitts, for waiting so long to debate fiscal matters and school finance–if, as Harvey Kronberg observed yesterday, “debate” is the right term for last night’s brief treatment of the second most important bill of the session.)

But what about those “consequences” for the Democrats? It’s hard to see the budget deal getting any worse from their perspective. What are the Rs going to do? Move more money out of Medicaid, making the 2013 supplemental, already estimated at around $5 billion, even larger? Cut public ed even more? House members could barely swallow the cuts they had to make to their ISDs this time around. (Ten more no’s in the House, and Davis wouldn’t have had to filibuster anything.) There’s always sanctuary cities, which died in the Senate when the Ds declined to suspend the rules to debate it. But did the Rs ever really want to vote on that one? It’s no secret the leadership has always been split on draconian immigration bills–big money donors like Bob Perry always fight them, and forward thinking consultants tell them it’s bad for the long term prospects of the party in a state that is now majority-minority.

This was one of those times when it was useful to have the 2/3 rule, so the Dems could be safely blamed. Of course, in a special, the rule wouldn’t apply. It’s up to Perry to decide what is on the agenda, and he has already promised a special as early as tomorrow. Difficult calculations all around this morning. One assumes that running over Davis in redistricting was not a difficult calculation. Then again, there’s nothing more dangerous than a politician with nothing to lose.

NATE BLAKESLEE

Tagged: special session, wendy davis

I heard about the threat from a Democratic senator. The veto would be retribution for the Wendy Davis’s filibuster that killed the school finance bill and forced a special session, which Perry did not want. If the Legislature fails to pass a redistricting bill during the regular session, the task falls to the Legislative Redistricting Board, which includes the lieutenant governor, the speaker, the attorney general, the comptroller, and the land commissioner–all of whom, of course, are Republicans. The LRB would then be in a position to punish Democratic senators by relocating their districts to new constituencies, such as Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

Democrats have been playing for time all session, in the hope that the public will become engaged (or enraged) by what the Legislature has done to education. They would like nothing more than to see the galleries and the hallways packed with vacationing school teachers. It would also be a thorn in the governor’s side to have a special session during the period when the governor must sign or veto bills–possibly giving lawmakers an shot to override vetoes. But teachers are not prolific voters, and the intensity of public engagement in recent years has been much higher among Republican voters than among Democrats. Which is why we have 101 R’s in the House.

The failure of school finance and other bills in the House last night was predictable. The House has operated with no sense of urgency all session. It stands at ease for long periods of time. The languid pace came back to haunt the leadership last night, as Democrats tried to kill the clock and Republicans, notably Bonnen, tried to circumvent the Laney rules, which were put in place to prevent sneaky things from happening in the closing days. Most veterans, myself included, think that the Laney rules, which are a series of deadlines, have changed the legislative process for the better and prevent a lot of mischief. Today is supposed to be for “technical corrections” only. Instead, there could be a frenzy of suspending the rules. I hope the speaker enforces the Laney calendar–although, I am told, even Laney violated his own rules at least once (in 2001). The rules exist to protect the members, not to provide a way to wire around the failure of the House to act in previous days when major bills endured postponement after postponement (see HB 400). I agree with Harold Dutton, who said from the back mike last night,  “We are torturing the rules in this House.”

Tagged: legislative redistricting board, rick perry, wendy davis

Doctors would be required to offer ultrasounds to women seeking abortions, and women would have the choice to view or not view the tests, under a compromise accepted today by Sen. Dan Patrick and adopted by the Texas Senate.

“It is really inform and consent. It is women’s health. It is really pretty simple,” Patrick said. “It is to protect women’s health and if that saves lives, that is a wonderful thing.”

But Sen. Wendy Davis pointed out the bill goes further than Patrick’s explanation, and will require information to be communicated verbally to the woman by her doctor about the development of the fetus.  (Current law allows the information to be given in writing.) The bill, Davis argued, “is about a great deal more. it is about shaming a women who is making a difficult decision.”  Patrick retorted that he would ignore her remark.

Sen. Juan Hinojosa also objected, saying the measure intrudes into the “intimate relationship between a doctor and a patient.”

Patrick emotionally recounted the story of a young couple who received an ultrasound at an abortion clinic and were informed the fetus had no heartbeat. They were offered abortion services, though they had not decided to terminate the pregnancy, and they were not shown the actual ultrasound. A second ultrasound at a crisis pregnancy clinic later revealed a heartbeat.  Patrick said his bill would prevent couples from a similar ordeal in the future.

Sen. Eddie Lucio urged his colleagues to be “pro-lifetime” and care for citizens “from moment of conception to moment of death.”

Patrick promised he would “not allow anything radical” to be added to the bill by the House. “I have no intention to have any dramatic changes in this bill,” he said.

Tagged: dan patrick, ultrasound, wendy davis

Bryan W. Shaw’s confirmation as a member of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has run into trouble in the Texas Senate. At a press conference this morning, Sens. Eliot Shapleigh, Wendy Davis and Rodney Ellis called for a “top to bottom” review of the agency — in the manner of the DeLoitte Touche analysis of management at the TexasDepartment of Transportation.

Citing examples of ex parte communications, the revolving door between the commission and industry, failure to enforce federal laws and a pattern of decisions in which the commission overrules its own scientists, the three lawmakers claimed unethical — and sometimes illegal — activities at the TCEQ were undermining the agency’s core mission.

Shaw has undergone extensive questioning by the Senate Nominations Committee, but Shapleigh said Shaw has yet to convince lawmakers that he is committed to ending practices like ex parte communications between commission members and industry representatives.  Unless Shaw takes some dramatic steps for a wholesale agency management review, “you’ll see many of us move to block his nomination,” Shapleigh said.

(more…)

Tagged: Bryan Shaw, eliot shapleigh, Rodney Ellis, wendy davis

Freshman Senator Wendy Davis was questioning Fraser when he asked her to speak up: “I have trouble hearing women’s voices,” he said.

Really?  Rodney Ellis certainly couldn’t let that one go. He interrupts and asks Duncan:  ”I thought I heard my wife’s voice…Is she calling me?”

Davis tries to get Fraser to acknowledge he said earlier today he offered the Voter ID bill because of the recommendations of the Carter-Baker Commission. He says, “I did not say that.”

I think he did.

Deflecting Democratic questions for nearly four hours now,Fraser is getting testy. He tells Davis to ask her questions of the expert witnesses who are going to testify.

Does your bill include a proposal that would allow voters to get a Voter ID free of charge?  Fraser says yes, but very few people would need one.

When she asks who would pay for it, Fraser responds: “I I know you are new to the Legislature but..” And then he defined fiscal impact for Davis, who was valedictorian of her class at Texas Christian University before she went on to Harvard Law School.

“Believe it or not I understand that a fiscal impact reflects whether there is a cost to the state,” Davis responds.

Tagged: troy fraser, wendy davis, women

In making his committee appointments, Dewhurst didn’t do any favors for the two new members, Davis and Huffman.

* Davis is on Education, International Relations & Trade (note to lite gov–Fort Worth is near the border, all right, but it’s the Oklahoma border, not the Mexican border), Veteran’s Affairs & Military Installations, and Transportation & Homeland Security.

* Huffman is on Government Organization, Health and Human Services, Transportation & Homeland Security, and Veteran’s Affairs & Military Installations. Military Installations? What does a senator from Houston have to do with military installations? I guess she can watch the re-enactors on San Jacinto Day. (Note to lite gov–Huffman was a judge. Couldn’t you have found a place for her on Jurisprudence or Criminal Justice?)

And it looks to me as if Uresti and Shapleigh are in the penalty box.

* Uresti is on Agriculture & Rural Affairs, Natural Resources, Health and Human Services, and Administration. He has a lot of rural territory in his district, but the action–and the votes–are in San Antonio.

* Shapleigh is on Health and Human Services, Veteran’s Affairs & Military Installations, Nominations, and Transportation & Homeland Security. He does get a gavel as the chair of the Base Realignment and Closure subcommittee of Veteran’s Affairs. Shapleigh can be his own worst enemy; even so, a veteran senator deserves better.

Tagged: carlos uresti, david dewhurst, eliot shapleigh, joan huffman, senate committee appointments, wendy davis

This is a report from a Democratic operative who is involved in the race.

“If you add up the early voters with previous Democratic primary history, and ad up the early voters with previous Republican primary history, and then give Republicans 70% of the voters with unknown primary histories, [Wendy] Davis is still leading.”

Tagged: kim brimer, texas democrats, wendy davis