Tx Capitol Report | A view from the Texas state capitol

Dewhurst releases committee assignments

 

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst just released his picks for committee assignments for the 81^st legislative session.

State Rep. Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, will serve on the same committees as last session. They are: Veterans Affairs & Military Installations and the subcommittee on Base Realignment & Closure; Health and Human Services; Nominations; and Transporation & Homeland Security.

 

Shapleigh will again serve as vice chairman of Veterans Affairs and chair the committee on Base Closures.

 

He wanted to serve on the powerful budget-writing Finance Committee, a position he was stripped of in 2007 after supporting the opponent of an incumbent state senator.

 

But no luck again this time. Might Dewhurst's decision have anything to do with Shapleigh stirring up the fight on the two-thirds rule on the first working day of the session and comparing the lieutenant governor to deposed Republican House Speaker Tom Craddick, we asked?

 

"We didn’t ask for that fight, but we weren’t going to back down,” Shapleigh said.

 

Though he wanted back on Finance, Shapleigh said his current committee assignments will keep him busy.

 

"In Transportation and Homeland Security and Health and Human Services there’s plenty of work," he said.

 

The full list of the lieutenant governor's assignments is here.View this photo

 

The House committee assignments probably won’t come down for at least another week.

At the tail end of yesterday's morning session in the House, Speaker Joe Straus told members they would have the weekend to consider their preferences for committees. They have to submit them by 5 p.m. Monday.

Straus, R-San Antonio, said he was extending the deadline from Friday afternoon because he restructured the House committees, dropping the number from 40 to 34. (You can watch the announcement by going here and skipping to the 1:01 mark of the video.)

Deciding committee membership will be the first major decision of Straus’ tenure as speaker and could indicate the tone he will take as leader.

- Andrew Kreighbaum and Brandi Grissom

UPDATE:

In advance of committee assignments from House Speaker Joe Straus, here's a run down of committees held by El Paso representatives in the 80th legislative session.

-Rep. Norma Chavez: Calendars (vice chair); Appropriations, subcommittee on General Government; Financial Institutions.

-Rep. Pat Haggerty (defeated in Republican primary): Corrections; Transportation.

-Rep. Paul Moreno (defeated by Marisa Marquez): Criminal Jurisprudence; Defense Affairs & State-Federal Relations.

-Rep. Joe Pickett: Border & International Affairs; Land & Resource Management.

-Rep. Chente Quintanilla: Licensing & Administrative Procedures; Local Government Ways & Means.

 

Saturday mornings with Marisa

No weekend plans? You could spend tomorrow morning with one of your state legislators.

State Rep. Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso, will host the first of a series of "cafecito" meetings with constituents Saturday morning.

Where: Residence of Mr. and Mrs. Acosta, 2203 Grant Ave.

When: Saturday, 9:30 a.m.

-Andrew Kreighbaum

 

 

 

Sierra Club weighs in on obesity crisis

Yesterday, when state demographer Karl Eschbach projected 15 million Texans would be obese by the year 2040, state Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, urged her colleagues to approve statewide measures similar to an El Paso schools program that teaches kids how to stay hea

Today, the state chapter of the Sierra Club suggested emphasizing playtime over reading nutrition labels. The group called for more funding for parks and outdoor recreation across the state where Texas kids can burn off calories.

“A relatively small investment of funds now by the Texas Legislature to expand outdoor recreational opportunities will reap huge human and economic rewards in the future by holding down medical costs and increasing worker productivity, while also stimulating our economy in the short run,”state director Ken Kramer said in a press release, which you can read here.Download Sierra Club Press Release

-Andrew Kreighbaum

Another freshman first

State Rep. Marisa Marquez filed her first bill yesterday. Her proposal would give schools more time to press truancy charges against students who ditch classes.

Here's the press release Marquez sent out today about the legislation:

Rep. Marquez Files "Stay in School" Bill

Bill Gives Schools Freedom to Combat Truancy

AUSTIN, TX—State Rep. Marisa Marquez (D-El Paso) filed HB 837, which would give school districts more time to file truancy charges against absent students. Current law requires a charge to be filed within ten school days of a student's tenth absence, or else courts must dismiss the charge. The law would give districts more time.

"This helps us emphasize how important attendance is to receiving an education" said Marquez. "Districts were experiencing too much of a backlog. They were left essentially powerless to hold truant students accountable for their absences. This bill will change that."

Marquez hopes the bill will give school districts an extra tool to combat high school drop-out rates by encouraging discipline. The bill extends the window to fourteen days, meaning that districts will be able to hold more truant students accountable. Truancy is associated with drug abuse, gangs, and dropouts, and experts believe that bringing students and parents into the truancy court process can help to right a student before more severe problems develop. Unanswered truancy, on the other hand, can enable irresponsibility and cycles of poor behavior.

"I am glad that Rep. Marquez has heard my calls for reform. We want to have enough time to step in and right a troubled student's path," said Mark Mendoza, Director of Pupil Services at El Paso ISD.  "When we do not pursue these cases, we lose a chance to speak with the student and the parents. We lose the opportunity to intervene constructively for a child's future."

When a charge of "failure to attend school" is filed, parents and children attend a hearing. A judge can determine to fine students or parents, order students to a truancy class or parents to a parenting class, or order requirements of the child or the parent specific to the case.

"This bill will help our school district ensure that no student falls through the cracks. We will have the proper amount of time necessary to make sure all complaints are filed and have a shot at making it before a judge," said Mendoza. "This will help us to keep kids in school where they should be."

At 30, Marquez is one of the youngest members of the Texas Legislature. She serves District 77 in downtown El Paso.

 

Razzing the freshman

Newbie state Rep. Joe Moody got his first whack at the speaker's gavel today, and it came with the requisite harassment from senior legislators.

When the real speaker steps away from the dais to attend to other business, other legislators get a chance to pound the gavel and move through the business of the House.

Traditionally, when a freshman legislator takes their first turn on the dais, one of the more seasoned, though not always more mature, lawmakers takes the opportunity to give them a hard time. It's like the statesmen's version of hazing. You can expect to see more of it when the new legislators bring their first bills and resolutions to the floor.

When Moody got up there today, state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, took the opportunity to give the House's newest Joe a little razzing.

At the back mic, he explained to Moody the purpose of the gavel was to make a loud clacking noise and that he wasn't smacking the wooden block with the appropriate force.

Soon, the rest of the House got in on the action, chanting "Harder!" and laughing as Moody clacked the gavel over and over again.

State Rep. Chente Quintanilla, D-El Paso, came up after the little show with a reassuring arm around a smiling Moody's shoulders.

And state Rep. Marisa Marquez, the other freshman from El Paso walked up to the dais with some comforting words: "Aye, Joe, I thought you hit it hard enough."

Photos of the episode to come.

UPDATE: As promised, here's a photo of Moody at the dais today:

(I know I said photoS, but this is the only one that turned out. Have I mentioned that I'm a horrible photographer?)

State senator to talk about border cameras on SA radio

State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, will be a guest on 550 KTSA AM in San Antonio at 4:30 p.m. today. He's going to be talking about Gov. Rick Perry's border cameras and why he thinks the program is a waste of taxpayer money.

You can listen to the chat here.

Marquez makes news in the Valley

State Rep. Marisa Marquez, D-El Paso, made the news in the Rio Grande Valley while she was touring the area with other legislator last week.

Both the Valley Morning Star and a local TV station covered the story.

Here's the press release Marquez put out today:

Rep. Marquez Tours the Valley with Lawmakers
Enjoys Opportunity to Get to Know Her Colleagues 
AUSTIN, TX—State Representative Marisa Marquez (D-El Paso) joined House colleagues this weekend on an informative trip to the Rio Grande Valley. The trip to Harlingen, Brownsville, and San Benito, gave lawmakers the chance to study key facilities in the area including Cameron Park, Idea Academy, and the Veterans' Health Center.
"In all the communities I see along the Rio Grande, there is a common theme: tremendous growth and opportunity, but educational resources lagging behind," said Rep. Marquez. "I am heartened by Lt. Governor Dewhurst's recognition that schools like UTEP should become Tier 1 institutions to close that gap.  What I have seen here in the Valley only makes it more evident."
In addition to the camaraderie, Marquez was interested in discussions regarding health care, commerce, and education. As the representative for central El Paso, Marquez is gearing up for a session that will have important meaning for the district, especially with the strain on state resources.  She believes lawmakers have to fight to ensure state services do not suffer amid calls to tighten the belt. The trip to the Valley was an opportunity to view the infrastructure in growing border areas and better understand how they impact El Paso.
At 30, Rep. Marquez is one of the youngest members of the Texas Legislature. She serves District 77 in downtown El Paso.

Thunder rolls into the Capitol

A thunderous rumble down Congress Avenue today brought hundreds of bikers to the Capitol for Biker Day. 

The crowd with patch-adorned leather vests, do-rags and a vast array of beard styles not typically seen in the halls under the pink dome, came to talk with lawmakers about their legislative agenda.

Among them were about 25 bikers from El Paso, which is home to more than 30 motorcycle clubs.

Dusty Warden, who is in the Mad Hatters Motorcycle Club, said top on the group's list of priorities is getting a bill passed to increase the penalties for drivers who fail to yield the right of way.

They'd also like lawmakers to pass an equal access bill that would prevent businesses from excluding entire groups of people, like bikers.

Warden said the day was going well.

"All of our legislators are very open-minded and receptive," he said.

State Rep. Norma Chavez, who proudly sported her own black leather biker jacket, sponsored a resolution in the House honoring the bikers.

Chavez rides a Harley Davidson Sportster 1500XL, and she said other legislators and even Gov. Rick Perry ride motorcycles, too.

In Texas, bikers are an important voting bloc, she said. More than 430,000 motorcycles are registered in Texas, and 887,000 Texans are licensed to operate motorcycles.

They may not look like politicians, Chavez said, but bikers are well-organized and political.

"I stay out of the biker politics," she said. "Ya'll are like my mom's church politics."

Chavez shows off her biker leather.

Front row (left to right): Danny Acosta, of the Mad Hatters Motorcycle Club, Chavez, Warden, Cesar Serrato, also of the Mad Hatters. Back row: Brenda Payne, independent rider from Central El Paso, and Patrick Wood, independent rider from El Paso's east side.

Warden shows off the Mad Hatter logo on the back of his motorcycle jacket.

Wood shows off his own independent logo on the back of his motorcycle jacket.

Statesman digs Pickett's Capitol digs. Ya dig?

In his column in today's Austin American-Statesman, John Kelso gives readers a tour of El Paso state Rep. Joe Pickett's unusual vintage-themed office in the Capitol extension. Kelso says it makes you expect the Fonz from Happy Days to jump out from behind the counter.

It's a fun read and a good reminder for Capitol folks, or El Paso visitors to the pink dome, looking to satisfy that mid-afternoon ice-cream craving.

Capitol staffers gather in bar, offices to watch history

Capitol staffers of El Paso lawmakers seemed pretty pumped up today after the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

They said they looked forward to changes in policy and in the tone of leadership in the U.S.

State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh’s Capitol staff gathered at Shoal Creek Saloon in Austin to watch the ceremonies.

Staffer Claudia Ordaz said it was a big day not only for African Americans, but Hispanics and Latinos as well. 

“He represents every minority even if it’s Anglo, African American, Asian, gay, straight, women, men,” Ordaz said.Samantha Dominguez and Danielle Faulkner, interns at state Rep. Chente Quintanilla’s office, watched a live feed of the ceremonies on CNN’s Web site. Dominguez, a student at the University

of Texas at El Paso, said she Obama’s election would politically empower El Paso’s eastside. But American youth would be even more profoundly affected by the new president, she said. 

“This is our generation. We are part of the Obamanos crew,” Dominguez said. 

Faulkner, a University of Texas at Austin student, worked for several Democratic campaigns last year.

“The way I see it is whenever we’re older and have children, we’re going to say, ‘Oh kids, we worked on that campaign,’” Faulkner said.

Ali Razavi, chief of staff for state Rep. Norma Chavez, said staffers gathered around the office television while still taking calls Tuesday morning. Razavi, who is half-Mexican and half-Iranian, said Obama’s election would be exciting for a growing minority population in America.

“They too can be part of that American dream,” Razavi said. “They can see it.”

 

-Andrew Kreighbaum