Sen. Leticia Van de Putte:  “I am often asked why doesn’t the Senate fight like the House. I usually reply we don’t often fight or argue because we genuinely like each other. We believe in… diplomacy and compromise. This is what is best for Texas and its citizens.” “We don’t pick unnecessary battles in this chamber. Instead we nurture the friendships and relationships.” “The key is the leadership we have in Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst. He likes to say thre are 32 of us. He has a leadership style that builds bridges instead of burning them and has ruled from that dias with diplomacy and not dictatorship. We are the consensus builders. We share principles and we share passions and we share ideas to move Texas forward.” “We only have 139 days. ..so I wonder why we waste one day on this or any other partisan issue and chip away at the great traditions of this body.” Then she noted the pressing issues awaiting legislative action: public ed, insurance rates, lack of health care, etc. “Are we really going to prioritize into special something that is just partisan. Are we really going to spend this special time for a partisan issue” “I want to say we are the upper chamber and we are family and we do care about what is best for Texas. This is the first step in the opposite direction.”