Bloggers are honing in on the Texas Legislature as the Regular Session enters its final month. They're also paying attention to state Capitol visitors and high office seekers, while one blog plays watchdog. Topping it off are posts on other topics, including a live music performance by elected officials.
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Chamber Music
NewspaperTree Blog has the text of an omnibus gambling bill, HJR 137, by Licensing Chair Ed Kuempel, R-Seguin, that passed his committee on Saturday. The bill would allow local elections to legalize and regulate gambling. Candidates include Galveston, South Padre and metro areas. All three Indian tribes would get casinos (and the Kickapoos could move theirs closer to San Antonio). Its companion bill is HB 4416. The local interest for El Paso? The Tigua Indian's gaming rights.
Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, got testy with Calendars Chair Rep. Brian McCall, R-Plano, on the House floor because Flores was frustrated that his disabled veterans bill hadn't gotten on the agenda yet. KVUE's Political Junkie has the back-and-forth.
Poli-Tex 's Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio, illustrates how three acting Speakers have broken the gavel in three days. If Sigmund Freud was correct, then House Speaker Joe Straus is in trouble.
A Capitol Blog comments on voter ID legislation in the House, saying, "the vote will be contentious with the political left and the right attacking the bill by amendment. I do expect that the political middle will pass this bill, leaving both unhappy."
The El Paso Times' Vaqueros & Wonkeros espied a meeting among Perry and state lawmakers. House Transportation Chair Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, said the meeting was about empowering metropolitan planning organizations to develop local transportation plans.
Remember SB 1569 by Sen. Kevin Eltife, R-Tyler, that would expand Texas' unemployment insurance program despite Perry's disdain for stimulus strings? Well, a Senate amendment to it doesn't fly with the feds, reports Pollabear. Meanwhile, the Austin American-Statesman's Postcards highlights a bill by Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, that would allow the state to lease empty parking spots to people or universities.
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Dropping In
KUT 's Notes from the Lege has a radio piece on Vice President Joe Biden's trip to Austin (our boss makes an "appearance"). The blogger says Biden was at least three hours late and didn't take questions from the press. The Dallas Morning News' Trail Blazers has a Texas GOP video making fun of Biden.
Notes from the Lege recorded comedian Ron White's remarks before the House, and Postcards has video of the blue-collar guy wearing a tie. Meanwhile, The Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics snapped a photo of an invasion of the House by dinosaurs, and the Statesman's First Reading has video.
Defending People graced the Pink Dome with his presence on the occasion of HR 480, involving the possible impeachment of Judge Sharon Keller, and writes about a couple of other bills while he was waiting for it to come up.
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Trail Head
If BurkaBlog were U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's campaign manager, he would have her running for Governor as a Democrat, he says. In response, Hutchison pens an epistle to Paul [Burka] saying she's not going to be writing a Dear John to the GOP anytime soon. And Rick vs. Kay picks apart Hutchison's letter. Meanwhile, at a women's dinner, Hutchison didn't respond to governor talk, says Trail Blazers.
NewspaperTree was on scene for an appearance in El Paso by Houston Mayor Bill White, where the potential Senate seeker wondered why they didn't use more solar power out there, was moderate on immigration, supported the drug war and said, "No, I don't" support nationalized health care. In other news, White is looking for fellowship applicants to work three months for no pay on his campaign, says Burnt Orange Report.
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Good Dog
Texas Watchdog also has 99 pages of correspondence between White and developer Marvy Finger for readers' perusal. Find more here.
Watchdog knows what Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst did last summer (and spring and fall and winter), and readers can, too, by reading his 2008 calendar, which the blog has posted here.
Completing the trifecta, Watchdog has a series of articles on the relationships involving private prison contractor GEO Group and the spouses of Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, and Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville.
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Olla Podrida
Some House Reps. got together on Sixth Street in Austin and jammed for charity, reports NewspaperTree. Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity is pushing another round of conservative tea parties for July 4, according to Lone Star Diary. And U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin, participated in a live-chat with readers of the Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac.
A Capitol Blog posts a Feb. 2007 photo he took of now-Pres. Barack Obama and Assistant Secretary of the Navy nominee and former Rep. Juan Garcia, D-Corpus Christi. The blogger, Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, says he spoke to Obama about Garcia on that day.
At least one person isn't worried about the swine flu: U.S. Rep. Ron Paul. At least that's what he says on a video that Trail Blazers picked up. Click here to hear U.S. Supreme Court arguments on the voting rights case involving an Austin municipal utility district, via C-Span and Potomac. And a couple dozen employees of the State Bar's Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel are moving into the Texas Law Center on the state Capitol grounds, reports Tex Parte Blog, so say hello if you see them.
Headline of the Week award goes to Tex Parte for a whimsical headline about serious business involving a former faux lawyer who also happens to be a major Democratic donor: "Mauricio Celis wants trial judge off his case."
This edition of Out There was compiled and written by Patrick Brendel, who hails from Victoria but is semi-settled in Austin. We cherry-pick the state's political blogs each week, looking for news, info, gossip, and new jokes. The opinions here belong (mostly) to the bloggers, and we're including their links so you can hunt them down if you wish. Our blogroll — the list of Texas blogs we watch — is on our links page, and if you know of a Texas political blog that ought to be on it, just shoot us a note. Please send comments, suggestions, gripes or retorts to Texas Weekly editor Ross Ramsey.