We're entering the last days available to the governor to consider bills. Anything not vetoed by midnight on Father's Day will become law, with or without Rick Perry's signature.

Political fundraising season begins in full force next week, and it'll be fast and furious until July 1 — the deadline for the current reporting period. Incumbents want to show impressive totals when their numbers become public July 15 — the better to keep challengers away. Some candidates should be ahead of the opposition; U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, for instance, is a federal official and could raise money for a governor's race while Perry was frozen out by the law barring state officials from raising money while the Legislature is in town.

And when the fund drive is over, it'll be about time for a special session.

Leading up to the sign or veto deadline, Perry signed several "headline" bills from the session:

• Increasing the deduction on the state franchise tax to $1 million, freeing around 39,000 taxpayers from that tax at a cost to the state of about $172 million.

• Increasing the tax on smokeless tobacco, with the money being used to pay for that business tax cut, in part, and in part to repay student loans of doctors who agree to practice for a period of time in underserved communities in Texas.

• Setting up a system so that the state's second-tier universities can compete to become Tier 1 schools on a par with the University of Texas, Texas A&M and Rice. That same bill has tuition revenue bonds to rebuild university properties lost to Hurricane Ike.

• Perry is scheduled to sign reforms of the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association in Galveston. Back before the session went off track, that was the only piece of legislation he had pointed to as special session material. And the threat worked: Lawmakers got after the legislation right away.

State officials can't raise money until the governor's veto period is over on Sunday, but the lieutenant governor got the wheels turning early.

Inquiring bloggers want to know: Will Gov. Rick Perry include voter photo identification in a special session? They're also expressing interest in people throwing stones at a certain monthly magazine of statewide interest, contenders for elected positions and the state's maintenance of law and order. Check out the last section for info on social media and other cool stuff.

* * * * *

Special ID

Fort Worth-area lawmakers from both parties want a special session to be quick and painless and hold the ID — at least that's what they're telling PoliTex, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's blog. Perry calling voter photo ID into play during the special would be a good political move for him and for Democrats, Pollabear says. And Eye on Williamson says Perry'll include voter ID if he wants to bolster his support among the hard right, but will play it straight — sunset, no chaser — if he's shooting for the middle-right types.

Forget voter ID, the first special item should be eyewitness ID to prevent wrongful convictions, Grits for Breakfast says. Meanwhile, Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, wants clean energy on the agenda, according to the Dallas Morning News's Energy and Environment Blog. And Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, is pushing for further discussion about children's health insurance, according to NewspaperTree.com Blog.

Between July 4 and 20 would be a good time for a special, BurkaBlog says. Those aren't the best dates for KUT's Notes from the Lege, who's got a vacation planned then. And the Austin Chronicle's newsdesk goes over why a special session became inevitable.

* * * * *

Exception Takers

Empower Texans' Michael Quinn Sullivan alleges that the Texas Monthly Best/Worst "lists are little more than a front for a left-wing ideological agendas." Hackles raised, Burka responds, "You write for people who think like you do. We write for people who think." On a related note, Sullivan's group has released its own "Fiscally Conservative Index" for the session, with Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, and Reps. Charles "Doc" Anderson, R-Waco, Wayne Christian, R-Center, Jodie Laubenberg, R-Rockwall, and Ken Paxton, R-McKinney, taking home the organization's top honors for their respective chambers. (Finishing at the bottom of the list are Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, and Rep. Mike Villarreal, R-San Antonio.)

Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr., D-Corpus Christi, doesn't think he should have landed on the "furniture" list and iterates some of his legislative accomplishments to Burka. "I was sitting at my desk (not a flashy piece of furniture, but it does its job well)," Ortiz writes. Meanwhile, Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, takes issue with being named one of the "worst," and Burka takes issue with her response. In other news, Letters from Texas posts a photo of Burka resting his eyes in a legislative chamber, it appears.

* * * * *

And In These Corners...

Mean rachel labels Democratic gubernatorial candidates Tom Schieffer and Kinky Friedman "political snowbirds" who "go Democratic when the weather gets good." She suggests Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, as a preferable alternative [eds. note: m.r.'s significant other, Harold Cook of Letters from Texas, works for Van de Putte and the Senate Democrats]. Off the Kuff thinks Democrats should be tossing pennies in wishing wells on Perry's behalf, saying, "any reasonably well-funded Dem will have a fighter's chance in the Governor's race if Rick Perry survives the primary." Kuff also says that Democrats have a good chance of making hay in 2010 statewide judicial races, given the political sunshine cast by Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon "9 to 5" Keller.

Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, isn't committed to running for governor, a "friend in Tyler" tells McBlogger, but former Tyler Mayor Joey Seeber is apparently 100 percent serious about challenging Berman for his current office.

Prohibited from raising money for himself during the session, Perry's been helping Americans for Tax Reform, the Morning News's Trail Blazers says, while Letters from Texas imagines a dialogue between Berman and Perry and fictionalizes an incident report about Perry's recent collarbone injury.

WhosPlayin? has information on a Collin/Denton County Democrats fish fry June 19 featuring top-ballot candidates including Schieffer and Mark Thompson (governor), John Sharp (U.S. Senate) and Denton attorney Neil Durrance (U.S. Congress). The next day, Perry supporters will attend a June 20 Volunteer Leadership Summit in Austin, memoirs from a young conservative says. And Dos Centavos attended a Harris County Democrats event featuring freshmen Reps. Carol Alvarado, Kristi Thibaut and Armando Walle.

Democrat Eric Roberson, whom you may remember from his 2008 bid against U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions, is happy to announce on Burnt Orange Report that attorney Grier Raggio, a Democrat, is exploring a run against Republican Sessions in 2010. Elsewhere, Burnt Orange plays the "if" game in HD-91, currently represented by Kelly Hancock, R-North Richland Hills, who's won two elections with an average vote total of 60 percent. If Schieffer's on the ballot, and if the district attorney's race is competitive, then a strong Democratic challenge could set up a close race in 2012, they say.

The Statesman's Postcards blog looks at two possible challengers to Texas GOP chair Tina Benkiser. And Ellis County's Paul Perry (no relation to the Guv) is aiming to succeed gubernatorial aspirer Debra Medina as head of the U.S. Rep. Ron Paul-inspired Texas Campaign For Liberty, according to the Ellis County Observer.

* * * * *

Justice League

After peeping at federal drug stats for Texas, Grits for Breakfast notices "adult admissions to publicly funded drug treatment facilities declined between 2006 and 2008, especially for harder drugs." He doubts the accuracy of the numbers, since the state has spent more than $200 million since fall 2007 for new treatment centers and prison diversion programs.

Tex Parte Blog follows the impeachment proceedings of retired U.S. District Judge Samuel B. Kent, who is supposed to arrive at prison this week. The same blog notes that the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court "is going all electronic" soon, meaning that folks filing documents with the court will save a bunch on printer toner.

The Statesman's Public Capital blog has details on the Teacher Retirement System board's hiring of a fiduciary counsel. The members went with a Wisconsin attorney, opting not to rehire their Washington, D.C., lawyer.

The lefty Lone Star Project is targeting Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, for his firm's involvement in a brewing Harris County voter registration controversy. Meanwhile, fans of Defending People can now find the blogger under the name The View From the Far Table. The Department of Justice says the Harris County Jail isn't up to snuff, constitutionally, according to Grits. And the Houston Press's Hair Balls has details on a former Houston Chronicle reporter's golden parachute jump into the Harris County Sheriff's Office.

* * * * *

Combo Pack

The Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics counts tweeting politicos and their tweeple. Meanwhile, social networkers can find political-types online at the Chron's Texas on the Potomac. Also on Potomac, U.S. Rep. Pete Olson tells readers why NASA's worth the money; U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison endorses Charles Bolden Jr. to head the administration; and, U.S. Rep. Gene Green live-chats about things like energy, global warming and cap-and-trade rules.

The budget's fine print is hard to make out, Notes from the Lege reports. With the phasing out of the Texas Residential Construction Commission, Bay Area Houston's advice is to consider buying used. 123beta has a new home (virtual), and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin dropped in to say howdy to her sister somewhere in "Central Texas," PoliTex says.

---

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.

U.S. Senate candidate John Sharp talked to a group of Austin Democrats at Scholz Garten.Sharp was introduced by at a Texans for Obama gathering by Fort Bend County Commissioner Richard Morrison, who unsuccessfully challenged then-U.S. Majority Leader Tom DeLay in 2004. Morrison's introduction. Sharp's talk. Sharp answers audience questions (caveat: it's hard to make out some of the questions). The other prominent Democrat in the race, Houston Mayor Bill White, spoke to the same group last month.

At the Alamo with his right arm in a sling, Gov. Rick Perry signed a constitutional amendment that would put some limits on government eminent domain into the state constitution. Governors sign bills into law, but Perry's signature on the constitutional amendment is purely symbolic. Amendments approved by the House and Senate go straight to voters without a required stop in the Guv's office, and this one will be on the ballot in November. This isn't a first. Four years ago, the governor went to Fort Worth to sign a constitutional amendment defining marriage as "the union of one man and one woman." Both signings came after a legislative session and a few months before the governor planned to seek reelection from voters. The eminent domain amendment would prevent governments from using their powers to force land sales and to then give the land to private developers. Voters will see this: "The constitutional amendment to prohibit the taking, damaging, or destroying of private property for public use unless the action is for the ownership, use, and enjoyment of the property by the State, a political subdivision of the State, the public at large, or entities granted the power of eminent domain under law or for the elimination of urban blight on a particular parcel of property, but not for certain economic development or enhancement of tax revenue purposes, and to limit the legislature's authority to grant the power of eminent domain to an entity." Perry vetoed an eminent domain bill two years ago — one of 49 he shot down. He said it would have required governments to pay for economic damage to property they didn't acquire if the damage was a result of the acquisition itself. Some of his fellow conservatives — and some groups like the Texas Farm Bureau — didn't like that a bit. And in fact, the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association and the Farm Bureau want Perry to add eminent domain to the summer special session he's promised. They contend the constitutional amendment doesn't go far enough.

The rumor mill still has the Guv calling a special in the early days of July and the probable list of issues hasn't changed: sunset dates, road bonds, public-private partnerships for roads, a revolving fund for roads, and getouttatownfast.

Keep an eye on the schedule of items that'll be left for the Sunset Advisory Commission to do in 2011 and what will be postponed until 2013. The commission staff and some lawmakers don't think sunset could handle what's already on their plate plus transportation, insurance, racing and two other agencies that didn't get done this year. And it's not as simple as moving any agency back two years. There's a squeak or a squawk for every delay, and Perry and Co. have to find the right combination to manage the workload, keep enough people politically happy, and prevent the scheduling issues from wrecking plans for a short special session.

But advocates for things that died at the end of the regular session want some attention for their issues, and they're clamoring. We're not rating the probabilities that you'll see any of this stuff, but from that line of supplicants come these requests:

• Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers and the Texas Farm Bureau want more than the constitutional amendment limiting eminent domain, which is already destined for the November ballot. They want to add provisions that compensate landowners when a government condemnation affects the value of the remaining property, and that allow landowners to buy back condemned property the government doesn't use.

• Add expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program (which expansion the governor has said he doesn't support). That bill passed in one form or another in both the House and Senate but didn't make it out of the Pink Building. The expansion would allow families making up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level to qualify for CHIP so long as they pay premiums for those benefits.

• Put Voter ID on the agenda so that photo identification will be required of anyone who wants to cast a ballot in the 2010 elections. That was the most partisan issue of the session and one reason it started and ended badly.

Most of the swing districts in the Texas House are held by Democrats, meaning they're more likely to be defending battleground seats than trying to wrest them away from the other party. A look at the political climate in each district, based on statewide results in the last two election cycles (click on the graphics to download a printable version).

Only one senator — Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth — holds a Texas Senate seat where the other party dominates in statewide elections. There just aren't many opportunities for either party to gain ground (or lose it) in the upper chamber.

With the glaring exception of the Democratic congressman from Waco, most everyone in the state's congressional delegation is from a district that votes in congressional elections just like it does in statewide elections. U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, a popular Democrat in a very Republican district, is the blueberry in the tomato soup — a blue dot in a red zone. Ciro Rodriguez, D-San Antonio, occupies a true swing district. By the numbers, it's about evenly split between the two parties.

Unemployment in Texas hit 7.1 percent in May, up from 6.6 percent in April and 4.5 percent in May 2008, according to the Texas Workforce Commission.TWC said the number of unemployed Texans rose by 24,700 in May, and said the state has lost 222,600 jobs over the last 12 months. Still, that's better than the national numbers. U.S. unemployment was 9.1 percent in May, up from 8.6 percent in April and 5.2 percent in May 2008. The state had a total of 822,000 people out of work in May, compared with 519,100 a year ago. The worst spots were in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, at 9.4 percent unemployment; Beaumont-Port Arthur, at 9.1 percent; and Brownsville-Harlingen, at 9 percent. The lowest rates: Lubbock, at 4.6 percent; Amarillo, at 4.7 percent; and College Station-Bryan, at 4.9 percent.

Without signing it, the governor approved a law that would allow rebuilding of some beachfront homes, including one owned by an East Texas lawmaker. One of the beneficiaries would be Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center, and that initially prompted Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson to ask the governor for a veto. But after talking with Rick Perry and his staff, Patterson now says Christian's provision is unconstitutional. He says Perry did the right thing by allowing the bill to become law and that the governor did so only after he was convinced the provision would wither and the rest of the bill is worth keeping. Patterson's statement:

“When I first became aware of the amendment to HB 770 suspending the Texas Open Beaches Act on Bolivar peninsula, I asked Governor Perry to veto the bill. At that time I would have been disappointed if the bill was not vetoed. With what I known now, namely that the Christian amendment to HB 770 clearly violates the Texas constitutions prohibition on local bills, the Governor has made the correct choice in allowing the bill to become law without his signature. The good provisions of HB 770 will become law, and the Christian amendment will change nothing. Texas beaches will remain as they have always been, open to all Texans, not just a few. Over the last two weeks I have had many conversations with the Governor and his staff. It is the consensus that the amendment is so poorly drafted that, even if it were constitutional, it would change nothing. It will be the policy of the Texas General Land Office that notwithstanding the Christian amendment, no structure will be rebuilt if it will interfere with the public right to access Texas beaches."

Gov. Rick Perry vetoed three dozen bills Friday and used his line-item vetoes to cut $288.9 million from the state budget, including $97.2 million in general revenue spending.The vetoes included: • Allowing child protective services to remove children from their homes in abuse investigations with the approval of an associate judge — without waiting for another judge's approval. That became a hot cause among social conservatives and the list of people asking for that veto eventually included Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson — the author House sponsor of the bill to which that provision was added. • An expansion of the pre-kindergarten program in public schools that began the session as an ambitious $300 million proposal and passed at 1/12th that size. • Allowing public hospitals in small counties to hire doctors directly, and would have held them legally responsible for the doctors' work. That bill had a lot of stuff that doesn't seem related, like establishing fines for people making disclosures of secret grand jury proceedings, and regulating the cremation of unidentified human remains. • Barring the Texas Department of Transportation from using state funds to advertise and promote toll road projects. • Lessened the influence of the State Board of Education in pre-screening members of the Teacher Retirement System (the governor currently chooses two from a list created by the SBOE), replacing one of those with a retired educator chosen by his or her peers. • Removing teens convicted of consensual sex with other teens from the list of registered sex offenders. Perry's budget veto proclamation is available here. His messages on vetoes and on signatures are here. And his executive order on textbooks — saying the State Board of Education should be among the decision-makers — is here. APPROVED WITHOUT THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE • HB 770 by Howard, Donna / Sponsor: Jackson, Mike Relating to ad valorem tax relief for an owner of certain property, including a residence homestead that is rendered uninhabitable or unusable by a casualty or by wind or water damage, and to a restriction on the authority to bring an action to remove a house that is partially located on a public beach as a result of a meteorological event. • HB 1275 by Kohlkorst / Sponsor: Hegar Relating to the authority to impose a county hotel occupancy tax. • HB 3076 by Deshotel / Sponsor: West Relating to a parenting and paternity awareness program used in the health curriculum for public schools. • SB 575 by Davis, Wendy / Sponsor: Shelton Relating to the time for dissolution of crime control and prevention districts and to certain taxes imposed by such districts or by fire control, prevention, and emergency medical services districts. • SB 1219 by Averitt / Sponsor: Deshotel Relating to a parenting and paternity awareness component of the health curriculum used in public high schools. • SB 1681 by Hinojosa / Sponsor: Gallego Relating to requiring the corroboration of certain testimony to support a criminal conviction. • SB 1717 by West / Sponsor: Davis, Yvonne Relating to regulation of owners of developments supported with low income housing tax credit allocations and of housing/ Sponsors of certain multifamily housing developments. • HCR 237 by Hilderbran / Sponsor: Fraser Designating the Brady World Championship BBQ Goat Cook-off as the official Texas State Goat Barbecue Championship Cook-off. • HCR 282 by Coleman Instructing the enrolling clerk of the house to make corrections in H.B. 3485. VETOED • HB 103 by Brown, Fred / Sponsor: Patrick, Dan Relating to health benefit plans for students at institutions of higher education and the operation of certain health benefit plans through student health centers at certain institutions of higher education. • HB 130 by Patrick / Sponsor: Zaffirini Relating to an enhanced quality full-day prekindergarten program provided by public school districts in conjunction with community providers. • HB 518 by Kohlkorst / Sponsor: Van de Putte Relating to programs to provide student loan repayment assistance for certain correctional officers, for certain speech-language pathologists and audiologists, and for certain mathematics and science teachers. • HB 821 by Leibowitz / Sponsor: Watson Relating to the sale, recovery, and recycling of certain television equipment; providing administrative penalties. • HB 1293 by Eiland / Sponsor: Ellis Relating to the sale and marketing of life insurance and annuities. • HB 1457 by Hochberg / Sponsor: Duncan Relating to procedures concerning verification of certain information submitted in a voter registration application. • HB 2142 by McClendon / Sponsor: Carona Relating to the promotion of toll projects by the Texas Department of Transportation. • HB 2656 by Miller, Doug / Sponsor: Duncan Relating to the composition of the board of trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas. • HB 2692 by Rodriguez / Sponsor: Watson Relating to certain municipal requirements regarding sales of residential properties in certain areas. • HB 2820 by Chisum / Sponsor: Wentworth Relating to contracts by governmental entities for professional services relating to geoscience and landscape architecture. • HB 2888 by Martinez / Sponsor: West Relating to financial assistance administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. • HB 3148 by Smith, Todd / Sponsor: West Relating to exempting certain young persons who are convicted of an offense involving consensual sex from the requirement of registering as a sex offender in this state. • HB 3202 by Bonnen / Sponsor: Jackson Relating to authorizing the transfer of certain real property held by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. • HB 3346 by Farabee / Sponsor: Averitt Relating to gas utilities and gas storage facilities. • HB 3481 by Veasey / Sponsor: Harris Relating to the expunction of records and files relating to a person's arrest. • HB 3485 by Coleman / Sponsor: West Relating to certain county, municipal, district, and other governmental functions, procedures, powers, duties, and services, including certain criminal procedures. • HB 3515 by Dunnam / Sponsor: Carona Relating to the creation of the offense of failure to report barratry and solicitation of employment. • HB 3983 by Rodriguez / Sponsor: Watson Relating to the imposition of property taxes on the residential homesteads of low-income and moderate-income persons. • HB 4068 by Gonzales / Sponsor: Hinojosa Relating to the conduct of judicial proceedings and transaction of other essential judicial functions in the event of a disaster. • HB 4685 by Homer / Sponsor: Eltife Relating to the County Court of Titus County. • SB 223 by West / Sponsor: Thompson Relating to allowing a person who successfully completes a term of deferred adjudication community supervision to be eligible for a pardon. • SB 434 by Wentworth / Sponsor: Bolton Relating to the establishment and operation of a public transit motor-bus-only lane pilot program in certain counties. • SB 488 by Ellis / Sponsor: Harper-Brown Relating to the operation of a motor vehicle in the vicinity of a vulnerable road user; providing penalties. • SB 686 by Davis, Wendy / Sponsor: Orr Relating to the installation, maintenance, or operation of natural gas pipelines on state highways and highway and county road rights-of-way. • SB 978 by West / Sponsor: Elkins, Coleman Relating to the creation and financing of public improvement districts. • SB 1206 by Hinojosa / Sponsor: Edwards Relating to the release from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice of certain inmates who complete a rehabilitation program. • SB 1343 by Hinojosa / Sponsor: Gonzales Relating to the formula funding for public institutions of higher education for certain credit hours that do not count toward a degree. • SB 1440 by Watson / Sponsor: Madden Relating to orders and judgments rendered by associate judges in child support and child protection cases and to the investigation of child abuse and neglect. • SB 1760 by Watson / Sponsor: Branch Relating to the administration of the Texas Save and Match Program to assist qualifying beneficiaries under the state's prepaid tuition plans and college savings plans and to the treatment of a beneficiary's assets under prepaid tuition plans and college savings plans in determining eligibility for student financial assistance and other assistance programs. • SB 2141 by Wentworth / Sponsor: Hughes Relating to the statute of repose for engineers and architects. • SB 2169 by Ellis / Sponsor: Alvarado Relating to the establishment of a smart growth policy work group and the development of a smart growth policy for this state. • SB 2325 by Hinojosa / Sponsor: Madden Relating to the confidentiality of certain information pertaining to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. • SB 2468 by Gallegos / Sponsor: Coleman Relating to the postemployment activities of certain local government officers in certain counties; providing a penalty. • SB 2558 by Gallegos / Sponsor: Thompson Relating to the promotion and marketing of alcoholic beverages. • HCR 161 by Burnam / Sponsor: Davis, Wendy Granting John Cook permission to sue the Benbrook Water Authority. • HCR 252 by Thompson / Sponsor: Averitt Requesting the governor to appoint a Governor's Task Force on Horse and Greyhound Racing. • SCR 59 by Jackson / Sponsor: Taylor Granting MBP Corporation permission to sue the Board of Trustees of the Galveston Wharves.