Raymond, Chisum, Perry, Huffman, Laubenberg, Jackson, and Stanford

Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, during the budget debate: "That's the headline: Two days after governor says we ought to secede, House zeroes out the governor's budget."

Former Appropriations Chairman Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, commenting on the budget debate in the San Antonio Express-News: "There's a new sheriff in town. And it ain't us."

Gov. Rick Perry, on the pace this year: "I'm always frustrated with the speed of important issues, but that's how this place works. It goes through a sometimes cumbersome, sometimes frustratingly slow process, but we've still got 40 days left of the legislative session. That's plenty of time. I feel like Groundhog Day, answering the questions, because if you think about it, we always get down here to the last 40, 45 days of the session and 'Well, are we going to get anything done?' and it seems like we always do."

Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, arguing that an asbestos litigation bill would burden business, quoted by Texas Monthly: "Dow Chemical pays over a billion dollars... to help support our schools. Business has been good to Texas."

Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, trying to stop efforts to regulate teen use of tanning beds: "You're really going to change Friday night lights at the football game for all these cheerleaders and drill team girls."

Senate Nominations Chairman Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, on the thin support for Don McLeroy's appointment to be chairman of the State Board of Education, quoted in the Houston Chronicle: "It's my preference, if that is going to be the case, that we don't bring him forward. There's no sense in doing that."

Democratic consultant Jason Stanford, quoted in the Houston Chronicle on two of his party's gubernatorial hopefuls, Tom Schieffer and Kinky Friedman: "We've got two white guys collecting Social Security who say they like George W. Bush."