The special session should start on Wednesday and could be over by the weekend, House Speaker Joe Straus told members in a memo laying out the details.

This week in the blogosphere, there's Undecided for Governor, and there's everyone else, after a survey showed incumbent Rick Perry up a dozen points on the rest of the field with the biggest bloc of voters uncommitted. Bloggers are also discussing other parts of the Texas Lyceum poll and the special session that starts Wednesday. (We wrote about the poll results here and here.) Capping it off are posts on political campaigns and other things.

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Hair and Shoulders Above

BurkaBlog says Lyceum respondents' positions against bailouts and federal spending should bode well for Perry, but he has a different reaction to the Republican gubernatorial primary numbers, saying, "Forget the 12-point lead. The number that jumps out is 33%. That's all?"

"If your sole issue is on the pro-life agenda, Perry is your man. He is quite good at stirring up the base with social issues," says Pondering Penguin, who's written favorably about Perry's chief rival U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Meanwhile, momentarily diverting her attention from South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and his Argentinean amante, In the Pink gives her take on the Lyceum poll, saying, "Basically, here's what the numbers mean — Texas voters hate both of them. There."

Texans for Rick Perry claims their guy's got "momentum" and links to interviews with Perry on TV and radio. And North Texas Conservative wins Headline of the Week Award by summing up Perry's campaign message in 12 words: "You Don't Toss The CEO If The Company Has Been Going Strong."

The Austin Chronicle's newsdesk looks at an early Perry veto that slipped under the mainstream media's radar. SB 2038 by Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, would have directed judges to treat non-substantive code revisions as such (that is, not substantive). Several people, including possible gubernatorial aspirant Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, are complaining that Perry vetoed bills that staffers said their boss would sign. Off the Kuff wants to know if those kind of assertions are unusual. And Texas Observer Blog reports that, before becoming Perry's new chief of staff, Ray Sullivan was cashing checks for lobbying on behalf of electricity deregulation, red-light cameras and a toll-road builder.

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Pack Animals

Texas "Off the Record," who was a public relations consultant for former Gov. John Connally, notes that Democrat Tom Schieffer's 6 percent mark in the Lyceum poll is better than Connally's initial survey showing of 4 percent. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's PoliTex views the former U.S. ambassador's hometown campaign kickoff through burnt-orange-colored lenses. And the Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics posts audio of a 45-minute interview with Schieffer.

After hearing what Schieffer had to say, Burnt Orange Report "wasn't offended... but... wasn't particularly inspired." Meanwhile, mean rachel canvasses bloggers' reactions on what she calls a "weak" Democratic field for governor. And Burka lays out Watson's (and by extension any Democrat's) chances of winning the governorship in 2010, saying that Perry is vulnerable in the suburbs on the subjects of schools, roads, home insurance and his own tenure.

Wharton Republican Debra Medina ran away with an Internet poll by Lone Star Times on the GOP gubernatorial primary, prompting the blogger to remark that Medina's sway over supporters of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul could be enough to garner 10 to 12 percent of primary votes, and make things a little more interesting in the process.

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Takeaways

Seeing that 71 percent of respondents favor voter ID, pollabear thinks Democrats need to concede the issue to Republicans. "If Democrats continue to take the bait they will continue to lose," the blogger says. And Eye on Williamson says the Lyceum poll shows that "Texas is in flux."

Kuff says former Texas Comptroller John Sharp's 2 percent performance in the U.S. Senate section of the poll nixes his name recognition argument. Elsewhere, fellow Democratic U.S. Senate contender and Houston Mayor Bill White is attracting the wrong kind of publicity from Texas Watchdog, who posts a series of articles on what White knew about a Houston airport controversy, and when he knew what he did. (Find more here.)

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Special Interest

A Capitol Blog's Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, creates a 90-second video preview of the special session, which he thinks might last "four or five days." He also says he hopes to be back home by the Fourth of July. A few days before Perry called the special session, Peña announced that he's having a fundraiser July 8 at the Austin Club, so he'll save some gas money if he sticks around the Capitol. On a related note, the El Paso Times' Vaqueros & Wonkeros takes a snapshot of the hometown incumbents' fundraising, noting that Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, has an event planned for July 4 Out West.

Newsdesk thinks Perry's inclusion of public-private toll roads and a revolving fund on the special agenda muddies the waters a bit. And the Austin American-Statesman's Postcards dusts off their desk calendars to look at special sessions since the late 1800s.

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Race to the Finish

Attorney General Greg Abbott may or may not run for lieutenant governor, his new political director says, according to Texas Politics. Meanwhile, Burnt Orange is sounding out for readers' input on what candidates their TexBlog PAC should help in 2010. And Postcards says a couple of Austinites think they'll need at least $1 million to knock incumbent U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, from his perch.

Texas Freedom Network Insider says their parent organization is training State Board of Education candidates July 22 in Austin (so camp outside St. Edward's University that afternoon to catch a glimpse of the hopefuls.)

Tex Parte Blog has reactions to a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision concerning an Austin municipal utility district and the Voting Rights Act from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the MUD's lawyer.

Texas did pretty well on a state-by-state comparison of legislators' financial disclosure requirements, the Washington Examiner's Beltway Confidential reports. (The winner: Louisiana.) Grits for Breakfast talks about the long-delayed Texas Youth Commission trial in West Texas. And the Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac talked energy policy with Obama, then created a big ol' special report about it.

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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.

The 81st Regular Session is in the rearview mirror, and bloggers are describing what they're seeing there. They're also discussing rankings of various lawmakers, peering out at political races on the horizon and pondering the political future of a certain Houston representative. Ending it is an update on "Turd Blossom" and other posts.

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Word Wrap

Here, find opinions on the session from a University of Texas professor and a bevy of organizations, via KUT's Notes from the Lege, who has also created a "Vote Tracker" to follow what bills Central Texas lawmakers supported and what they didn't.

A Capitol Blog's Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, declares the session "a success" because of the commitment to a Rio Grande Valley medical school. Peña also lists accomplishments cited by the Governor's Office here. In his other blog, Lone Star Rising, he focuses on his own actions during the session.

Off the Kuff says the Legislature's inaction on false convictions legislation is "Embarrassing." Half Empty looks at education-related legislation and wonders why public schoolteachers have a different retirement system from state employees. And Blue Dot Blues posts photos from the session. Subjects include rattlesnakes, lightsaber-wielding lobbyists, dinosaurs and dead bills.

Save for failed attempts to expand children's health insurance, Democrats did pretty well, Texas Blue says. Meanwhile, WhosPlayin publishes a letter to Gov. Rick Perry urging him to consider solar power legislation if he calls a special session. And Kuff breaks down the sunset bill for the Texas Youth Commission and Juvenile Probation Commission.

In retrospect, when House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, said he'd let the lower chamber run itself, he meant what he said and said what he meant, the Dallas Morning News's Trail Blazers says. The Lege passed a few pro-gun bills and no anti-gun bills, and that's all right with A Keyboard and a .45.

Ellis County Observer relays the end-of-session wrap up by conservative group Americans for Prosperity. And the houston conservative says that the Texas Public Policy Foundation is pleased with the outcome of the Regular Session.

Someone might have used a deceased person's name to vote in a Dallas city election, Texas Watchdog reports, noting that photo voter identification legislation discussed during the session would not address this kind of (alleged) fraud, since it (like the vast majority of voting fraud) occurred on a mail-in ballot.

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Making a List

BurkaBlog invites readers to share their thoughts on the Texas Monthly Best/Worst list. Meanwhile, one of the "Worst," Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, shares his thought that Burka and co. were down on Hispanic and border lawmakers, as usual. And "Best" list maker Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, played it cool when KVUE's Political Junkie queried him about his possible statewide ambitions. (Watson ran for Attorney General in 2002 and was defeated by Greg Abbott.)

Letters from Texas provides a press release template for legislators angry/happy with their place on the Texas Monthly list. Blue Dot Blues blasts Texas Monthly's list for being too liberal and gives suggestions for their own 10 Best/Worst list. And Notes from the Lege talks to the magazine's president Evan Smith about what it takes to land on the list.

Letters from Texas, written by a Democratic consultant, teamed up with a GOPer to create a cross-partisan list of the 10 best lawmakers, in their opinion. "I'd bet their Ten Worst list…would be a lot more fun," says Kuff. And Greg's Opinion has mixed feelings about the lists by Texas Monthly and Letters from Texas.

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Trail-scape

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's PoliTex reports that on Saturday night incumbent Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison were in the same room, albeit a very large one (the new Dallas Cowboys stadium). The Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics notices that Hutchison's description of Perry as AWOL (Absent Without Leadership) sounds strikingly identical to a line used by Carole Keeton Strayhorn in the 2006 gubernatorial race. But according to rankings by national blogger Five Thirty-Eight, Perry is the 10th most powerful governor in the U.S., via Rick vs. Kay.

Burnt Orange Report takes umbrage at earlier allegations by Capitol Annex that Houston Mayor and U.S. Senate hopeful Bill White has "Republican ties." Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones has launched a website detailing why she wants to be the next U.S. Senator from Texas, according to Trail Blazers. And Pondering Penguin posts about "A Big Tent Party" in Houston featuring prominent Texas Republicans.

ABC13's Political Blog reports about the emergence of Sean Roberts, a potential challenger to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee in Houston. According to Annex, former Tyler Mayor Joey Seeber, a Republican, will take on Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who has expressed gubernatorial aspirations. And Dallas attorney Eric "EJ" Johnson announced that he's running for the seat currently held by Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, according to Trail Blazers.

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On the Sly

Political Blog heard from Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner's folks that the former House Speaker Pro Tem is looking at running for Mayor of Houston again, possibly. ABC13's Prof13 looks deeper into Turner's past runs at the office and analyzes his prospects this time around, if he does jump in. And Kuff links to more blogs on the topic.

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Potpourri

The Houston Chronicle's Texas Potomac blog compiles their "Where Are They Now?" features on one-time public officials from Texas, and tacks on a profile of (in)famous GOP strategist Karl Rove for good measure.

Texas Observer Blog is keeping an eye on the latest developments in the proposed West Texas radioactive waste disposal site in Andrews County (pop. 13,645). Trail Blazers has a back-and-forth with an Oklahoman cartoonist who has come under fire for a drawing of Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Puerto Rican piñata we've ever seen.

Lawyers on the opposing sides of the Judge Samuel Kent case exchanged some discouraging words, according to Tex Parte Blog. Democratic donor Mauricio Celis, who was convicted of pretending to be a lawyer in Texas, has now been indicted for lying about his legal credentials from Mexico, reports Tex Parte. And after years of writing about pretty courthouses, Tex Parte is calling on readers to help them find some ugly ones.

Bay Area Houston relays the results of a survey by insurance reform group Texas Watch. The survey says most Texans don't know they pay high insurance rates compared to other states. Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, is engaged to House assistant parliamentarian Shannon Wiggins, reports Texas Politics. And Dos Centavos has a new address — the blog can now be found at www.doscentavos.net.

Blog maverick examines whether people should care what is written about them on the Internet. The answer, he says, is usually not.

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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.

All the counting is done, and Comptroller Susan Combs says lawmakers left $359.1 million unspent during the regular session that ended on the first day of this month.In a letter to state leaders and lawmakers, Combs says the Legislature left $359.1 million in general revenue money unspent. She revised some numbers after looking through the Legislature's work, too. The amount available for general revenue spending in the two-year budget that starts in September is $78.1 billion. That's up $1 billion from earlier estimates, but it's not because tax collections have risen — it's because of the way lawmakers wrote the next budget and revised the one we're in. She's making no changes to her revenue estimates — just accounting for what the Legislature did during the session. Bottom line: It all balances, with money left over for general spending. (This has nothing to do with the $9 billion-plus that's expected to accumulate in the state's Rainy Day Fund by the end of the next biennium; that's a different pot of money.)

The Legislature has to come back tomorrow. The governor put public-private highway projects on the agenda. And Robert Nichols, an engineer and former highway commissioner who's now a state senator, says the Legislature ought to solve the problems with those projects now instead of later.

That's not the deal the Gov. Rick Perry's office was trying to get, and it's potentially a threat to the success of a special session that's designed to knock out three issues in three days and end.

Lawmakers have to change the expiration dates on five agencies that will otherwise go out of business in 14 months. They have to authorize the sale of $2 billion in highway bonds already approved by voters (and a revolving credit fund that adds to the buying power of that bond package).

And they're supposed to reauthorize Comprehensive Development Agreements, or CDAs — the public-private partnerships used to build toll roads and other projects with private and public sector financing, operations and ownership. Nichols and other senators who worked on an interim committee on that issue (and others) want to settle the whole thing now. Nichols would give local officials first right of refusal on new CDA projects, letting them decide whether they wanted to participate or leave the jobs to others. That's called primacy and you'll probably read it a lot for the next 72 hours or so. He would also set up a process for working out the deals, settling disputes, and so on.

The Texas Department of Highways and the governor's office want legislators to reauthorize CDAs for a non-controversial list of projects and leave the blanket authorization for later. They're pushing for that while Nichols talks to senators and others about his approach. The list has the advantage of ducking controversy and getting lawmakers out of town fast. The blanket has the advantage of putting a leash on public-private deals at a state agency held in low political regard in the Pink Building.

"We can take a short term approach, but I think it would be a missed opportunity," Nichols says. "My idea is to use this as an opportunity to fix CDAs once and for all."

The Senate approved his approach with just two "No" votes during the regular session. That legislation died in the House as deadlines ran out at the end of the session. Nichols filed a bill that would preserve a list of projects already underway or in negotiation and would put the new rules into effect for everything that follows. And he says the short-term approach — approve a list and leave town — doesn't solve the fundamental problems. Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, filed the same bill in the House, but also says there's "an alternative bill" in the wings if this one doesn't get traction.

Last week, there appeared to be a consensus developing around the idea of a list. With Nichols filing his bill, everybody's still negotiating.

The session starts Wednesday morning.

The special session is less than half a day old, but one of the three issues on the governor's agenda is in deep trouble while two others are cruising through.Legislators moved quickly to extend the lives of five agencies set to "sunset" automatically in September 2010, and to authorize the sale of $2 billion in highway bonds already approved by voters. But Gov. Rick Perry's effort to allow new public-private partnerships on transportation projects started hitting obstacles right away. The arrangements — Comprehensive Development Agreements, or CDAs — allow private companies to pair up with governments to finance, build and operate toll roads and other transportation projects. The House and Senate started with the same idea but the House went to a different version and Senators decided to sit and wait. With lawmakers trying to start and finish the special session in three days, a delayed bill can quickly become a dead bill, and legislators seem more motivated to pass the sunset and bond legislation than to spend a holiday weekend working on CDAs. They're still negotiating, and still hoping to finish early on Friday.

CDAs could spoil the tidy three-day special session envisioned by Gov. Rick Perry and other leaders, after committees adjourned on Day One without acting to free certain Comprehensive Development Agreements from a moratorium that begins Aug. 31.

Without action, the state can't enter into new public-private partnerships on transportation projects. But it — and local governments — could continue on with partnerships that are already underway.

Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, whose SB 3 addresses this, predicts his chamber will not accept legislation unless the House approves language on primacy, non-compete clauses and buyback provisions.

"If they don't come over with those type of protections, my opinion is it will not even receive a vote," Nichols says.

Meanwhile, House Transportation Chair Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, thinks lawmakers on his side will be wary of approving Nichols' comprehensive bill before the weekend. Pickett adds that he personally likes the bill (he's carrying its twin in the House), but isn't sure members have the political will to pass it right now.

Pickett also filed an alternative bill, HB 4, which reauthorizes a short list of CDAs but does not include Nichols' provisions.

Primacy means that local authorities get first dibs on building road projects, and get to decide whether they want to participate with private firms in particular CDAs or not. They'd get the right of refusal before the state could step into a local project.

Nichols' bill would shorten non-compete clauses (which prohibit public authorities from building projects near CDAs that would suck toll revenue from them), shortening the maximum duration of the agreements to 30 years (it's now 50 years).

The bill exempts interstate highways from non-compete clauses. It also lays out the process by which public entities can resume control over the roads if the CDAs don't work out like they expected.

Nichols says the bill has been in development since 2007 and is the product of input from a legislative study committee — and wasn't "quickly thrown together... over the weekend."

Nichols' bill incorporates language from two bills approved by the Senate during the regular session. Both died on the House Calendar when time ran out.

While there is general agreement that sunset agencies and $2 billion in road bonds merited a special session, the necessity of dealing with CDAs has been questioned by some, including Senate Finance chair Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, whose committee is hearing all three special session topics.

Senators told Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst that CDAs don't have wide support in that chamber. But Dewhurst says he's still trying to work a deal.

If lawmakers do not reach an agreement by Friday afternoon, they could recess over the weekend and come back to work Monday. More likely: Both chambers could call it Sine Die, leaving it up to the governor to call them back for another special session on CDAs or to let it rest.

Pickett doesn't think CDAs had the same level of urgency as the other special session topics, saying that two years is a long time in the transportation world, and that failure to pass the CDA legislation would probably not jeopardize any projects.

"I think that the two main issues were still the language for Proposition 12 bonds and the sunset dates for those agencies that were hanging out there," he says. "And I don't think many people at the beginning thought we would be doing comprehensive development plans."

—by a Texas Weekly correspondent

Lawmakers extended the lives of five state agencies and approved $2 billion in bond sales, but stopped short of allowing new public-private partnerships for new transportation projects.Gov. Rick Perry wanted the Legislature to extend the state's authority to start new Comprehensive Development Agreements, or CDAs. But lawmakers don't want to do that and aren't convinced any new projects will go unbuilt if they don't act. With no sense of urgency around it, they decided they're not going to act on that last request. And they changed their tact on the bond sales, striking a provision that would have set up a revolving fund, financed by those bonds, that supporters said would allow more roads to get built. As with the CDAs, lawmakers said they can make any changes they want in the regular session in 2011 without any real detriment to the state's transportation planning and construction. "Since it's not going to make any difference in the number of lane miles that are built between now and the 2011 session, we can address this during that session," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst told reporters. They planned to finish work on those first two issues and go home, just a day after they began the special session. Lawmakers were reluctant to take on the CDA issue in a short session. It's fraught with political risk, with some voters unhappy about toll roads, partnerships that let foreign companies collect tolls and operate roads, and plans to add toll lanes to free roads in the state. Some lawmakers were willing to give the Texas Department of Transportation the right to go ahead with those deals, if some safeguards were put in place. Others wanted to approve only the new CDAs on a list. And others wanted to kill the idea altogether. The one thing they finally agreed on: No projects will go unbuilt if they put off the issue until the next regular session. That was enough to put the thing to rest for now. The revolving fund that went with the bonds appeared to be alright in the Senate, but some members of the House had misgivings. Since it won't affect any projects before the regular session, it was easier to set that fight aside. "It's a new concept," said Sen. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan. "The House was a little uncomfortable with that, as I understand it..." he said. "In the interest of the short time that we have, I think that they were more comfortable with the familiar than with the risk that you take with something new."

Legislators ended their special session — mostly successfully — a little over 30 hours after they started it.They passed sunset and bond legislation sought by the governor, but closed shop without a vote to allow new public-private partnerships on transportation projects. That complicated issue, lawmakers said, can wait. Gov. Rick Perry's end-of-session statement:

I am pleased that lawmakers passed legislation to continue the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Insurance and three other state agencies, and authorized the issuance of $2 billion in transportation bonds that were approved by Texas voters in 2007. With more than 1,000 people moving to Texas each day and a growing economy, improving transportation in our state continues to be a top priority of mine. I had hoped to reduce uncertainty regarding several major transportation projects across the state by extending the comprehensive development agreement authority for local and state transportation agencies. Although the CDA bill did not pass, we will continue to work with legislators and local officials to find transportation solutions for our state.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on the end of the session:

I'm proud of how quickly and efficiently the Texas Senate came together during this brief special session to pass legislation ensuring the state can issue $2 billion in voter-approved bonds to build roads, and to keep some of our most critical agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Department of Insurance, open. The Senate also addressed the issue of building toll roads through public-private partnerships, including a handful of specific projects, but determined no legislative action is necessary in this session.

Gov. Rick Perry ignored pleas and requests to put a number of other issues on the special session agenda — entreaties that continued after the start of the session, and past Perry's statements that no additions are likely.

Family members and advocates for the late Timothy Cole — exonerated of rape charges after he died in a state prison — came to Austin seeking a gubernatorial pardon and asking Perry to put the issue in front of lawmakers if he thinks a new law is required to allow posthumous pardons.

Several lawmakers and trade groups wanted the governor to add eminent domain legislation to the call, saying the measure passed during the regular session helps but isn't enough because it doesn't compensate landowners for all of what they lose when the government forces them to sell land.

Several lawmakers and outside groups, led by Sen. Eliot Shapleigh of El Paso and Rep. Garnet Coleman of Houston, asked Perry to add an expansion of the Children's Health Insurance Program to the agenda.

Two hours after the House and Senate brought the special session to a close, the Harris County GOP was sending Houston Republicans messages urging them to ask Gov. Rick Perry to call another special session with Voter ID as the topic.

Lawmakers actually filed 36 bills, including the two that passed, the CDA bills that died, a CHIP expansion, and bills protecting concealed handgun owners from employer restrictions on storing their guns in their vehicles, extending mental health benefits to include eating disorders, indexing the minimum wage to the cost of living, extending eminent domain protections, changing benefits for employees of junior colleges, allowing revenue bonds for school construction, and tightening revolving door restrictions for Harris County employees.

The upcoming Republican battle for governor is starting to appeal to some Democrats. Fort Worth businessman/lawyer Tom Schieffer's in the race. Medina County entertainer/writer Kinky Friedman is, too. And other buzzards are circling around the idea that a bloody GOP primary could produce a wounded Republican candidate in the November general election — someone who might be vulnerable to a challenge from a Democrat.

It's early, but there's recruitment talk going on. The caveat, as always, is that we can't tell from our seats whether those recruitments are genuine or engineered. But if you log in to Facebook, you'll find groups trying to draft state Sen. Kirk Watson and former Travis County Ronnie Earle, both from Austin. Watson was urged into the race by fellow Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, who looked but won't run and says Watson ought to. Earle, according to the Austin American-Statesman, has filed papers that allow him to raise money for an as-yet unspecified state race. Mark Thompson, who ran for Railroad Commission last year, might also be in the race.

It's a red state — the best performance by a statewide Democrat last year was 45.8 (Sam Houston in a race for Texas Supreme Court). But Democrats are encouraged by strength at the local level in places like Dallas and Houston, and by gains in their statehouse delegation over the last few years. The Democratic share of the Texas House was 62 of 150 seats in 2003; now it's 74 seats, or two short of a majority.

It's not a great environment, but it has improved enough, apparently, to attract some interest.

• On the Republican side, add one and drop one. Gov. Rick Perry has a press conference scheduled this weekend with Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler. Berman was talking about a bid for governor but has lately been talking to Perry and telling reporters that he'd join the governor's reelection efforts if Perry satisfied Berman's standards on immigration issues. There's another Republican challenger in the wings, though: Debra Medina, who chairs the Wharton County GOP, plans to be on the GOP primary ballot for governor in 2010. She's also pushing a set of initiatives she'd like to see on the GOP ballot in March.

U.S. Senate candidate Roger Williams says he raised more than $400,000 — or about $1,000 per guest — at a fundraiser last weekend.

Candidates don't have to make their reports public until mid-July. Williams, a former Texas Secretary of State, is in the hunt for Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat, if she decides to resign early to concentrate on her run for governor.

• Rep. Beverly Woolley, R-Houston, announced she'll seek reelection to her HD-136 seat. A victory would mean a ninth term for Woolley, who was first elected in 1994.

• Sen. Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, did some research and found the shortest special session in state history: One hour, in 1919.

• Put Kim Limberg on the list of candidates in HD-105, where Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, is the incumbent. Limberg is a Democrat and a state highway department engineer. Harper-Brown won a very close election last year and Limberg is the second Democrat in the race; Loretta Haldenwang, a former aide to Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, is planning to get in. If the incumbent doesn't run for reelection, Irving City Councilwoman Beth Van Duyne will run as a Republican.

• Jeff Weems, a Democratic activist and an oil & gas attorney in Houston, is pulling together a challenge to Texas Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo, a Republican who'll be on next year's ballot.

• This isn't exactly the 2012 Republican presidential primary, but it's not exactly not: Govs. Rick Perry of Texas, Haley Barbour of Mississippi, and Sarah Palin of Alaska could all be on the dais at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's 20th anniversary shindig on September 11. That'll be in Austin.

For a Texas governor, the headline perfectly describes a successful special session. Voters didn't get hurt, weren't aroused, and aren't mad.

This special session will be a success if, in a couple of years, most of the people involved have to be reminded of what it was about. If they can't immediately recall it (except for the mooks out there), that's a sign that everything went okay. It has all the signs of a winner.

The "got-to" issues moved quickly, with both chambers unanimously approving sales of $2 billion in highway bonds already approved by voters and extending the lives of five agencies that, without legislative action, would go out of business in September 2010.

Lawmakers stalled on a third issue, partly because none of them could detect enough local fever over public-private highway projects to approve new ones. They decided to let it hold and ended the session about 31 hours after it started.

And they did it with very little television coverage and with voters getting ready for a holiday weekend. Many people didn't even know they were in town.

Gov. Rick Perry ran through a circuit of TEA parties on Independence Day; we caught his Austin speech to several hundred hot (102 degrees!) Texans who gathered on the South grounds of the state Capitol for a day of talks from conservative political folks. You can listen to his speech (about 10 minutes) here, or with the player below. Perry was also scheduled to make stops in Sulphur Springs, Rockwall, and San Antonio. TEA, in this case, stands for "Taxed Enough Already."

 

 

And we took some crowd pictures so you could read the signs (click on each for an enlarged version in a separate window):