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November 4, 2008
Two races that must make Craddick nervous
Two surprises in early returns in state House races:
Kristi Thibaut is beating Rep. Jim Murphy by about 1,000 votes in Houston.
Rep. Linda Harper-Brown is losing by about 700 votes in the Dallas area.
If Republicans lose either or both of these seats, it’s very bad news for Speaker Tom Craddick.
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September 18, 2008
Houston legislator with flooded district slates Austin fundraiser
I wrote in today’s newspaper about some candidates for state office postponing fundraisers due to Hurricane Ike. Houston Rep. John Davis, a Republican seeking re-election against Democrat Sherrie Matula, isn’t yet one of them.
Davis intends to stick with plans for a fundraiser Oct. 7 at the Austin Club near the Capitol, his consultant said today, though that could change in light of Hurricane Ike.
Matula has similarly hoped to have an October fundraiser in Austin, though her campaign manager said today that plan is on hold at least through this week.
The consultant, Allen Blakemore, said that because campaigns and fundraising are compromised in the Houston area by Ike fallout, candidates need events in other cities to prepare for the Nov. 4 election.
Blakemore said Davis has been focused lately on making sure supplies are delivered to constituents in low-lying communities hard hit by the hurricane.
Davis’s district takes in all of part of the Clear Lake area, Taylor Lake Village, Seabrook, Shoreacres, El Lago, League City, Nassau Bay, Pasadena, Webster, Friendswood and La Porte.
“He had a lot of flooding,” Blakemore said. “And most of his district is without power and has still a lot of flooding and cleanup work to be done.”
Generally, Blakemore said, “you’re going to see folks from the Houston area looking to other parts of the state to do campaign fundraising… With little ability to raise funds in the district, with campaign activities in the district and throughout Houston suspended, you have to look elsewhere — and Austin is a logical place to look.”
Martha Griffin, Matula’s campaign manager, said the challenger has shut down fundraising and campaigning this week, though the Democrat has intended to hold an Oct. 2 fundraiser in Austin.
Griffin stressed that unlike Davis, Matula has not sent out invitations to the October event. She said Matula is also not hunting sponsors at this time.
Griffin said the campaign will revisit political plans next week.
Griffin said: “It seems irresponsible for Davis to be going ahead with a fundraiser that’s sponsored by lobbyists at the same time his district is flooded, we have widespread power outages and frankly, nobody we know has heard from John Davis in terms of helping the community.”
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September 5, 2008
Rep. Berman considering running for governor
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said today that he’ll run for governor at the end of the 2009 legislative session if he doesn’t succeed in passing legislation targeting illegal immigrants.
“If we can’t get anything done next session because it’s blocked, I will run for governor at the end of the session,” he said in an phone interview from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where he landed early this evening after attending the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office today released a document showing Berman has requested Abbott’s official opinion on whether a House member would lose his seat if he announces his candidacy for governor during the first year of a two-year term.
Berman said he wants to keep his House seat and that if Abbott rules that he would have to give up his seat to run for governor, that would factor into his decision whether to run.
Berman would like to penalize employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He’s also proposing a surcharge on money wired to Mexico.
“We have almost two million illegal aliens in Texas and no one’s doing anything about it,” Berman said. “A lot of people are very concerned, including myself. It’s costing Texans $4 billion a year and we think something needs to be done.”
The cost of illegal immigration is disputed; for example, a state comptroller’s report said undocumented immigrants added $17.7 billion to the gross state product in 2005.
During the 2007 legislative session, a package of anti-illegal immigration bills by Berman and other Republicans died in the House State Affairs committee. Chairman David Swinford, R-Dumas, said after meeting with lawyers from Abbott’s office that at least 20 bills were either unconstitutional or trumped by federal law.
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August 21, 2008
Naishtat challenger drops out
Jim Hasik, the Republican candidate for House District 49, has dropped out of the race, GOP officials said today.
Hasik, who was challenging incumbent Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, “withdrew due to personal reasons,” said Hans Klingler, spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas.
Tina Benkiser, chairman of the state party, will not replace Hasik, Klingler said.
Hasik was not immediately available for comment.
No Libertarian is running for the seat, so Hasik’s withdrawal leaves Naishtat without an opponent.
Blogger Mean Rachel poked fun of Naishtat recently for not having a campaign Web site. (He replied to her that a Web site is “obviously long overdue.”)
But now that he has no opponent, maybe his transition to the modern age has become a bit less urgent.
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July 31, 2008
Rep. Delisi steps down early
State Rep. Dianne White Delisi, a Temple Republican who is not seeking re-election, resigned today.
“I resign my seat to District 55 Texas House of Representatives effective July 31, 2008,” she told Gov. Rick Perry in a letter today. “Governor, over the years, I have admired your leadership to Texas … Best wishes to you and Anita in future years.”
Delisi, chairwoman of the House Committee on Public Health, said she is pursuing several new opportunities, including a position at Delisi Communications (her son Ted and daughter-in-law Deirdre’s firm).
She said she spent today packing up her office, feeling “gratified, thankful and a bit wistful” after 18 years in the House.
“I’m excited about the future,” she said. “Politics is always about the future, so that’s really been my life.”
Delisi’s term would have ended in January with the swearing-in of the new representative elected in November.
Instead, Gov. Rick Perry will call a special election to fill Delisi’s seat for the rest of her term, gubernatorial spokeswoman Allison Castle said; it will take place along with the general election in November.
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July 17, 2008
Naishtat challenger fails to raise funds
State Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin, is the fundraising leader in the House District 49 race — but that may not be saying much.
Naishtat raised $2,125 between January and June, spent $25,450 and had $218,409 on hand, according to the latest campaign finance reports. He has represented House District 49 since 1991.
Republican challenger Jim Hasik has raised $0 since January, spent $8 and has $0 on hand.
No Libertarian is running for the seat.
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Howard leads Waggoner in fundraising
State Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, has a big financial advantage over Republican challenger Pam Waggoner, the latest campaign finance reports show.
Howard, who has represented District 48 since 2006, raised $89,915 between January and June and had $160,869 on hand as of June 30. A former nurse and Eanes school board member, Howard’s committee assignments include a post on the House Higher Education Committee.
Waggoner, who defeated Dr. Joe Donnelly in the Republican primary, raised $9,631 in the same period and had $11,266 on hand at the end of last month. She owns an insurance company and is a former Leander school trustee.
Libertarian candidate Ben Easton has not raised or spent any money and has $0 on hand.
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July 2, 2008
Dukes recovering from surgery
State Rep. Dawnna Dukes, an Austin Democrat, is recovering from surgery she had on Monday morning at Seton Hospital, her office said today.
Dukes had a laparoscopic myomectomy and a hysteroscopic myomectomy. A myomectomy is the removal of fibroids in the uterus. It is an alternative to a hysterectomy, the removal of the uterus.
“She expects a full and complete recovery prior to the next legislative session,” a statement from Dukes’ office said. Dukes was released from the hospital Monday afternoon.
The statement said that the procedures were scheduled “during a time period that would have the least amount of negative impact on her legislative duties.”
In 1997, the Legislature passed a bill by Dukes that requires patients to be informed of the risks of a hysterectomy.
Want to send a card? Here’s her address: P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX, 78768
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June 11, 2008
Party for Waggoner to be held at former opponent's home
Hillary Rodham Clinton is backing her former rival for the Democratic nomination for president, Barack Obama, and here in Central Texas a couple of Republican former opponents for a state House seat are sticking together.
A party this weekend for House District 48 candidate Pam Waggoner will be held at the home of her former rival in the Republican primary, Dr. Joe Donnelly.
Donnelly, who lost to Waggoner in March, sent out an Evite for an event he called “Meet and Greet Pam Waggoner.”
“Joe, you are too kind,” Waggoner wrote in an Evite post showing she will attend. “I look forward to the evening.”
Waggoner, who lost her Leander school board seat last month, will face incumbent state Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, in the House race this fall.
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May 22, 2008
Payroll padding 'theft'
A Dallas lawmaker angry over the “ghost employee” scandal in the Texas House is providing the latest ante in the growing political fight.
In a letter today to the Employees Retirement System of Texas, Rep. Jim Jackson, R-Dallas, seeks a list of all former state elected officials who “who after leaving office were listed as full-time employees with any state agency” that makes them eligible to pad their legislative pension benefits.
Under current state law, former lawmakers and other elected officials who are members of the so-called “elected class” can count work they do for state agencies — and the Legislature itself — in boosting up their state pension.
Retirement pay for the “elected class” is not based on their actual salary, but on the six-figure salaries of state district judges. Lawmakers make only $600 a month.
Writes Jackson: “This is not a political issue, but an ethical one. This is not about pay, but about principle. Employees and elected officials receive very different retirement benefits, and elected officials should not be able to transfer their benefits back and forth when the rest of the 200,000 state employees and retirees cannot.
“A former elected official should not be able to to accrue retirement benefits in the elected class when not holding office.”
In the two-page letter, Jackson also blasts a new way for allowing former lawmakers who are on the House payroll to accrue additional service time to increase their pensions — the so-called “on call” designation that several lawmakers have reclassified full-time employees who were putting in far-fewer hours.
Of the “on-call” classification — which House officials said does not officially exist — Jackson minced few words:
“This despicable practice lines the pockets of undeserving former members who continue to build their pension yet perform little or no work … Whether or not this ‘ghost worker’ issue has been a longstanding practice of the House or is a member-to-member courtesy is irrelevant to me; it is unfair and wrong for elected officials to receive this kind of undeserved benefit
“This practice amounts to little more than theft.”
Look for this latest development to spur new political jockeying in the already fractuous House.
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'Ghost worker' hearing short
The House General Investigating and Ethics Committee made short work of a scheduled hearing on the issue of ‘ghost workers’ being employed by lawmakers.
Starting 20 minutes late, Committee Chairman Larry Phillips, R-Sherman, gaveled the hearing open and then adjourned almost immediately so as not to interfere with an ongoing criminal investigation by the Travis County District Attorney’s Office.
Before ending the session, though, Phillips noted the legal authority for the committee to investigate the matter — which he said has “called into question the integrity of the House of Representatives” — and to note that House Speaker Tom Craddick’s office does not review or receive copies of personnel forms, as some lawmakers had earlier claimed.
He also said the status of House internship programs should not be affected, because interns are not “ghost workers,” just low-paid employees.
Flanked by the other two committee members who showed up — Reps. Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, and Ken Paxton, R-McKinney — Phillips said he anticipates the panel will take the lead in changing House rules and even state law to ensure that “ghost workers” never show up on the House payroll again.
Controversy over the “ghosts” began a month ago after the Austin American-Statesman disclosed that at least three lawmakers had full-time employees on their staffs who were working only a few hours a month — including two former lawmakers.
Today’s abbreviated hearing came after the Travis County prosecutors issued a warning letter Wednesday to the House Civil Practices Committee, which on Monday had initiated its own probe into the matter — even though one of its employees was one of those named in the Statesman report.
In the letter, Gregg Cox, director of the DA’s Public Integrity Unit, cautioned the committee not to interfere with the ongoing criminal investigation. Under state law, anyone who would testify or provide documents to a legislative committee while claiming that the information could incriminate them could not prosecuted for a crime.
After receiving the letter, the Civil Practices Committee agreed not to do anything in its inquiry that could compromise the DA’s investigation. Phillips said he has also talked to the DA’s office.
“There’s not going to be any interference from this committee,” he said. “We are recessed subject to the call of the chair. Right now, I’m not sure when we’ll get back together.”
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May 21, 2008
House job reforms urged
Three lawmakers targeted by investigators for allegedly having “ghost employees” on their payrolls on Wednesday proposed significant reforms in Texas House employment rules — including a ban on former lawmakers who have been working low-level jobs to gain a lucrative legislative retirement.
In a public letter to all their colleagues, Reps. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco; Garnet Coleman, D-Houston and Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, proposed a change in House rules requiring all full-time House employees to work full-time.
“No member of the elected class (i.e. elected officials and former elected officials and others designated as such) shall be eligible for retirement accrual within that retirement class (this would apply to all State agencies) unless they are then holding a State elected position,” the letter states.
In addition, a new job designation of “on-call” should be created for part-time workers who work only when called upon by lawmakers; overtime, vacation and sick leave would be accounted for on a monthly basis for the first time, and “no full-time employees shall be permitted any outside employment … “
The last proposal could create a problem for House Parliamentarian Terry Keel, among others, who currently have other jobs.
In the letter, the three lawmakers also blasted plans by the House General Investigating Committee to hold a closed-door hearing Thursday on the “ghost employee” issue. “Secret meetings blind the public to the workings of their government,” the letter states, objecting “in the strongest possible terms to sinister ‘star chamber’ proceedings that deny public access.”
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April 24, 2008
UPDATED: Arrangements for Lena Guerrero
Robert Earley, who was Lena Guerrero’s deskmate when they both served in the Texas House, has relayed the funeral arrangements for the former Travis County legislator:
Public visitation with the family is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday at Mission Funeral Home, 6204 S. First St. in Austin, with a rosary to follow at 7:30 p.m. in the funeral home’s Serenity Chapel.
A Mass is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday—this is an updated time—at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1206 E. Ninth St., followed by internment at the Texas State Cemetery. There will be a reception at the cemetery after that.
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Lena Guerrero dies
Lena Guerrero of Austin died Wednesday night in her sleep, a close family friend, Tom Duffy, said early Thursday. The former Texas House member and appointee to the Texas Railroad Commission was 50.
Guerrero was the youngest-ever president of the Young Democrats of Texas at age 21. She won election to the House in 1984 and served as an Austin representative until 1991. Energetic and intellectually curious, she quickly became a player on many fronts.
In January 1991, Gov. Ann Richards appointed Guerrero as the first Hispanic and first woman on the Texas Railroad Commission, targeting her for higher statewide office.
But Guerrero’s aspirations melted down when, while seeking election to the commission seat, she was forced to admit she had lied about having a University of Texas degree. Republican Barry Williamson easily defeated her.
Guerrero, one of several Texas Hispanic leaders who saw their promising political careers dissolve in the same generation, later called it a “pretty loaded question” when asked to analyze the effect of the Hispanic leaders’ falls from grace. (Former San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros and Former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales were undone by criminal charges while in office, Cisneros for lying to the FBI about payments he made to a mistress and Morales for steering money from a lucrative state settlement with tobacco companies to a lawyer-friend.)
“I think that you ought to expect the first layer of Latinos to be overly reviewed, to be highly at the front of the effort to be questioned excessively,” Guerrero said. “If any of us had done a number of the things that some of these other people — Democratic or Republican people — have done, we would have not been treated alike and have not been treated alike.”
Guerrero, speaking in 2000, three years after surgery for removal of two malignant brain tumors, looked forward, not back.
“What happened to Lena Guerrero is not nearly as important as what are we doing to grow Latinos and Latinas who can run and win and serve in public office and be leaders,” she said. “I don’t think we are spending enough time cultivating them.”
Permalink | Comments (150) | Post your comment Categories: Comings and goings, Democratic politics, House, Texas Railroad Commission
April 9, 2008
Speaker candidates give through Parent PAC
Your blogger is now paid to follow the circus in Washington and not Austin, but as any good addict will tell you, it’s hard to stop paying attention to Texas House races. So indulge me.
I was reading about Tuesday’s runoff this morning on Burkablog and thought that Paul had an interesting, and accurate, observation. The folks who are considered public education advocates are not having a good election year, and certainly not compared to the monster year they had in 2006.
I went to check on the latest financial report from Texas Parent PAC, the group that is largely funded by H-E-B’s Charles Butt and that has been highly critical of the way the state’s leadership has handled public education, on issues ranging from vouchers to teacher pay. The PAC did not appear to play in Tuesday’s runoffs, which were all on the Republican side.
But they did play in the March 4 primaries. And their most recent report indicates that their funders include several House members who are running for speaker, including Jim Pitts, Byron Cook and Jim Keffer. This money was used to help some incumbents but also some challengers to Republican incumbents.
I’m no lawyer, but I’m wondering how this is different from Speaker Tom Craddick’s giving to the Texas Jobs and Opportunity Build a Secure Future PAC earlier in the primaries, which delivered big checks to several incumbents who are friendly to Craddick. Craddick’s check is the subject of a complaint filed by Texans for Public Justice, which says Craddick violated a state law that prohibits a speaker candidate from trying to aid his candidacy by financing the campaigns of other House candidates. That complaint was also the subject of a front-page story in the Statesman.
Here are a few differences that I see: First, Craddick gave from his campaign to the Jobs PAC, while the other speaker candidates gave their own money to Parent PAC. Second, he gave in much larger amounts — while they were writing checks to the tune of $5,000, Craddick was writing them for $250,000 from his campaign. Also, the Jobs PAC had been dormant for many months before Craddick and a few allies stepped in, while Parent PAC has been a much more steady, active PAC over the last few years.
Still, it is surprising that, considering it’s supposedly a taboo for House members to campaign against each other, that the Parent PAC contributions have not received more attention.
Please, tell me in comments: What other differences am I missing?
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March 5, 2008
Dippel wins in a blowout in Dist. 17 race
In the Democratic primary to fill the House District 17 seat, La Grange agriculture consultant Donnie Dippel outdistanced Bastrop resident Latreese Cooke.
Final tally: Dippel 68 percent, Cooke 38 percent.
Dippel will now face Lexington lawyer-rancher Tim Kleinschmidt in the November genereal election, to see who replaces rice farmer Robby Cook in the House.
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Madden wins reelection
House Corrections Committee Chairman Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, won reelection in a squeaker.
With most all the votes tallied early today, Madden led first-time candidate Jon Cole 52 percent to 48 percent.
The difference was just a couple of hundred votes, almost-complete returns showed.
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March 4, 2008
Donnelly congratulates Waggoner
Dr. Joe Donnelly, a candidate for the House District 48 Republican primary, said he just called to congratulate his opponent, Pam Waggoner, who had a strong lead in early voting.
Donnelly said he didn’t reach Waggoner but left her a voice mail. “I told her I’d be happy to work with her to help her campaign,” he said. “She’s stronger in education and I could help her in health care. Maybe we could work together.”
Donnelly, a doctor who worked an emergency room shift today, said he’ll probably head to bed before the final results are in.
“I’m a little disappointed, obviously,” said the first-time candidate. “You go into something hoping you’ll win. I learned a lot, that’s for sure.”
He said he can envision running for the same seat in the future. “I probably will,” he said.
District 48 is now represented by Democrat Donna Howard, who is seeking re-election but did not have a primary opponent.
Waggoner is a Leander school trustee and an insurance company owner.
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Lonely watch parties
At the Longbranch Inn on East 11th Street just before 8 p.m., fewer than a dozen supporters of House District 46 Democratic primary candidate Brian Thompson gathered to watch election returns (he hadn’t arrived yet).
And half an hour later, at the campaign headquarters of incumbent Rep. Dawnna Dukes, D-Austin, there were also fewer than a dozen supporters at a party where there was enough cake to serve many more.
Where were all the supporters? Caucusing, apparently. The presidential race means that parties for House candidates that usually kick off when the polls close won’t start until later.
“We told everyone not to come until after their caucus,” said Dukes, who was ahead of Thompson in early voting.
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Waggoner ahead in HD48 Republican primary
Early voting totals show Pam Waggoner easily leading Dr. Joe Donnelly in the House District 48 Republican primary.
Waggoner has out-raised Donnelly in the race for the chance to face incumbent Donna Howard, a Democrat, in the fall.
Waggoner had 63.66 percent of the vote, compared with Donnelly’s 36.34 percent.
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February 29, 2008
Judge refuses to stop Dukes' commercial
State District Judge Scott Jenkins on Friday refused to stop Rep. Dawnna Dukes’ television commercial that says her opponent, Brian Thompson, has never voted.
Jenkins noted from the bench that no U.S. court has ever imposed “prior restraint” on core political speech.
“This state district judge in Austin, Texas isn’t going to do it for the first time since the First Amendment was adopted,” Jenkins said from the bench.
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February 27, 2008
Waggoner leads in fund-raising for District 48 Republican primary
Pam Waggoner, a candidate for House District 48, significantly out-raised her Republican primary opponent, Joe Donnelly, in the latest campaign finance reporting period.
Between Feb. 4 and Feb. 25, Waggoner, a Leander school trustee and insurance company owner, raised $9,850. She has $12,583 on hand.
In the same period, Donnelly, an emergency room doctor, raised $842. He has $825 on hand.
If you missed the Statesman’s debate between the two candidates — who are on Tuesday’s ballot — there’s a link to the video with this story.
House District 48, which is in northwestern Travis County, is now represented by Democrat Donna Howard, a Democrat who does not have a primary opponent. She’ll be on the November ballot, along with the Republican primary winner and Libertarian Ben Easton.
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February 26, 2008
Judge lifts ban on outside money in speaker's race
Texans will be able to spend money lobbying or campaigning for Texas House candidates based on who they support for speaker, a judge ruled this morning.
U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel temporarily barred the state from enforcing portions of the so-called speakers’ statute that restricted groups outside the Texas House from spending money advocating a position in the speaker’s race.
The judge’s order will be in place until a trial to determine whether the law is constitutional. The state has the option of appealing the order, perhaps later today.
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January 15, 2008
Craddick's chief of staff departing after February
Nancy Fisher, who has been an aide to House Speaker Tom Craddick since he won the leadership post in 2003, will depart at the end of February, Craddick announced Tuesday.
The departure of Fisher, who was pretty much Craddick’s deliverer of bad news to House members and staff, stands to be studied around the Capitol for any signs of whether Craddick ultimately bent to members’ requests that she go — or whether she simply decided there are better ways to make a living.
“It has been an honor to work with the speaker in this capacity for the past five years,” Fisher said. “I appreciate the trust he placed in me, and the opportunity to play a small role in bringing historic changes in public policy. While I will greatly miss working for the speaker, the time has come for me to take some time off and pursue outside opportunities.”
Fisher joined Craddick’s office in 2003 when he was elected speaker by the newly-Republican House. She initially worked as his legislative director before becoming chief-of-staff in 2005.
“Nancy has done an excellent job as my top adviser,” Craddick said. “Nadine and I wish her all the best in this next chapter of her life, and we are incredibly grateful for her service and commitment to us.”
Craddick’s office offered no immediate word on a Fisher successor.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House, Speaker's race
January 2, 2008
Charles James, we hardly knew ye
According to the state Republican Party’s list of candidate filings, Charles James of Katy is running in the March primary against Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin.
Well, no, he’s not. From the looks of his Web site, James was planning a full campaign, complete with cute pictures of his family, a biography that emphasized his military service and a few statements on the issues. (Think small government). But the site has been updated to say he will actually not run for Congress this year.
“We began the race too late and we were not able to build the momentum necessary to finish the race strong,” his Web site says.
McCaul hardly has a clear path, though. Still in the race are Democrats Larry Joe Doherty and Dan Grant, plus Libertarian Matt Finkel.
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December 21, 2007
Bolton, Branch make friendly football wager
State Reps. Valinda Bolton, D-Austin, and Dan Branch, R-Dallas, have made a friendly wager on tomorrow’s Class 4A Region II state football playoff game between the Lake Travis Cavaliers and the Highland Park Scots, Bolton said.
If the winner is Lake Travis — which is in Bolton’s district — Branch has agreed to wear a Cavalier hat with a plume (“like the Three Musketeers,” Bolton said.)
If, however, “by some disastrous quirk of fate, Highland Park manages to to pull out a win,” Bolton will have to wear a kilt and all the regalia for a day.
The game is tomorrow at 2 p.m. at Floyd Casey Stadium in Waco.
Here’s why Bolton thinks the Cavaliers have the edge: “They’re the best,” she said. “It’s Lake Travis. They’re awesome.”
Here’s the Statesman’s lowdown on the game.
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December 12, 2007
Third R files for Krusee seat
Bryan Daniel, a Georgetown insurance executive, on Wednesday became the third Republican to file for the District 52 seat being vacated by Rep. Mike Krusee.
Daniel, 37, joins Dee Hobbs, 32, an assistant prosecutor, and John Gordon, 61, a longtime GOP activist and party official, in the March Republican primary.
Diana Maldonado, a Round Rock school trustee, is the lone Democrat running to replace Krusee.
Daniel headed up the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s office of rural development.
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Craddick's hat in
As expected, House Speaker Tom Craddick is running for reelection. For the 21st time.
The Republican lawmaker from Midland, who has served in the House since 1968, announced this afternoon that he has filed paperwork to run for reelection to his House District 82 seat.
“For a number of years I have represented the conservative philosophy of our district by advocating for limited government, lower taxes and investments in public and higher education,” Craddick said in a statement.
He is one of the longest-serving members in the Texas House of Representatives, and the first Republican speaker in more than 130 years. He is currently serving his third term as speaker.
During the legislative session that ended in May, Craddick’s leadership came under steady attack, as Democrats and breakaway Republicans challenged his interpretation and enforcement of House rules, and leadership decisions that at times appeared to be boiling into open rebellion.
When the session ended, more than a half-dozen state reps were announced candidates to replace him — although most of those have since gone publicly silent.
Craddick is a sales representative for Mustang Mud, an oilfield supply company, and he owns Craddick Properties, a Midland investment business. He has a business administration degree and a masters in business administration from Texas Tech University.
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Gifts for angels
Call it the Angel Tree surprise.
On Monday, Nadine Craddick, wife of House Speaker Tom Craddick, unveiled a donation of 230 gifts for abused and neglected kids in Central Texas.
The gifts, presented to representatives from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and Partnerships for Children, were purchased and donated by people who took gift tags from this year’s Angel Tree at the State Capitol.
Mrs. Craddick, in a statement: “I am elated that so many people get involved with this holiday tradition every year. … It is such a blessing that we can ensure that these children have a special Christmas, no matter what their current situation.”
For the past five years, an Angel Tree has been placed outside the Capitol Grill that is decorated with gift requests from children under the care of CPS. The gifts were collected at the Speaker’s Office.
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December 4, 2007
Update: House race filings
State Rep. Nathan Macias, R-Bulverde, drew a GOP primary challenger Tuesday as New Braunfels insurance agent Doug Miller filed for the same office.
The race in House District 73 is among several Lower Chamber contests shaping up statewide, as election filings completed their second day. The filing period ends in January.
Other filers of area interest today: House Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland, incumbent Rep. Edmund Kuempel, R-Seguin, and Tim Kleinschmidt, a Lexington attorney and rancher who ran unsuccessfully last year against incumbent Democrat Robbie Cook.
Cook, who has represented House District 17 for several years, recently announced he will not seek re-election. The seat had earlier been targeted by the GOP for a gain in the GOP-controlled House.
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December 3, 2007
Goolsby: I'm in
House Administration Committee Chairman Tony Goolsby says he is running for his 11th term.
A key lieutenant of House Speaker Tom Craddick, Goolsby heads the committee that oversees House fiscal operations. In his announcement statement, he cites among his legislative accomplishments the passage of a life-without-parole law in 2005, an expanded Amber Alert network for kidnapped and missing children, sexual assault prevention and laws expanding educational access for young and older Texans.
Goolsby, a 64-year-old Republican, is an insurance executive who represents suburban Dallas areas.
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November 28, 2007
Craddick announces interim studies
House Speaker Tom Craddick on Wednesday released interim charges to be studied by lawmakers looking to bill the state for a good trip to Austin to study various issues (but probably only those two-thirds of the members who won’t be tied up in election challenges back home).
So what are the highlights?
Texas has been a state since 1845, and we’re still studying how the budget works.
Plus, the House Business and Industry Committee has discovered identify theft as an issue.
The House Committee on Culture, Recreation and Tourism appears to be rethinking much of what it did last session.
And finally, the House Committee on Financial Institutions is going to monitor the foreclosure of homes in the current real estate atmosphere. By the time the Legislature returns in 2009, that should be cold comfort to anyone who lost their house in 2008.
Here is the official list of interim charges, or at least the first batch of them. Lobbyists! Fire up your clients!
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS 1. As an oversight of all state agencies, assess all performance measures, operating budgets, budget transfers, and changes in full- time equivalents, major contracts, litigation, and debt financing, including assessing all rider provisions and evaluating budget structure effectiveness. 2. Examine alternative spending limit methodologies found among the various states as they impact state and local spending and recommend potential changes to the Texas budget process to bring long-term, innovative strategies to control costs of major governmental programs. 3. Evaluate the process by which costs of statutory changes are determined and formalize a process by which contingency appropriations are provided and enhance the communication between standing committees and the appropriations committee. 4. Study state employee compensation and benefit packages and recommend alternatives designed to attract and retain superior management personnel and other areas of potential professional shortages. Review executive director salaries, classification schedules, merit and bonus pay, pay ranges, and agency flexibility. 5. With regard to the state’s health-related institutions, research deficiencies with disproportionate share and upper payment limit methodologies; research collaboration with general academic institutions and between health-related institutions; review funding streams for University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), focusing on the issue of the need for reimbursement by counties using UTMB for higher levels of indigent care; and study the methodology used to fund the state’s two mission specific institutions. 6. Comprehensively review Medicaid provider reimbursement rate methodologies, including the impact of factors such as infrastructure concerns, federal minimum wage changes, and cost reports. The review should also address health care concerns such as access to care, quality of care, and value. Any recommendations should take into account current rate increases impacting the next fiscal year. 7. Research strategies to ensure that the state will meet more stringent federal work requirements to avoid the loss of critical federal funds. Include a comparison of exemptions from work requirements provided by Texas as opposed to other states. 8. Examine settlement of federal and state lawsuits against Harris County Hospital District for false claims in the state Medicaid program. Recommend any measures needed to ensure compliance of similar entities with rules and regulations of taxpayer-funded programs. 9. Assess the potential for clinical and economic benefits of the use of state funds for current and increased adult stem cell research. Report on the collection and availability of cord blood stem cells for treatments and research in Texas. Review the current state of basic and clinical research using available types of adult stem cells. 10. Review the Existing Debt Allotment and the Instructional Facilities Allotment to determine whether there is an ongoing need for two distinct programs. 11. Study the funding needs for Adult Basic Education and the Texas Education Agency’s effectiveness in running this program. 12. Explore the spreading or “smoothing” of state payments to school districts throughout the year to better manage the state’s cash flow. 13. Monitor and examine the implementation of funding appropriated during the 80th Legislature to the Texas Youth Commission, Juvenile Probation Commission, Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), and Correctional Managed Health Care Committee. 14. Examine regulatory agencies and programs to consider aspects such as call center consolidation, strategies to allow access to greater revenue generated, and communication of best practice alternatives across agency lines. 15. Analyze the current financial condition of the Texas Department of Transportation including but not limited to cash in bank, encumbered funds, use of bond capacity and projected needs for various funds allocated to the Texas Department of Transportation and their appropriation for major projects over the last five years. This analysis should include a review of revenues diverted from the State Highway Fund for non-transportation applications. Examine alternative sources of revenue to sustain future transportation needs. 16. Study the state’s current and long-range need for physicians, dentists, nurses, allied health and long-term care professionals. Make recommendations regarding strategies related to both geographic distribution and barriers to recruitment of high-need professions, especially for primary care providers and long-term care professionals. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committees on Border and International Affairs and Public Health) 17. Examine activities at the Texas Medical Board as they relate to the protection of public health and the practice of medicine, and the status of implementation requirements established by HB 1973, 80th Legislature, Regular Session. The committees should consider any findings by the Texas Sunset Commission. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Public Health) 18. Assess the relationship between mental illness and criminal behavior and offer reforms needed to address the proliferation of mental illness in the adult and juvenile criminal justice systems. This review should include an examination of data sharing between criminal justice and health and human services agencies, proper screening, assessments, treatment, discharge planning, post-release supervision, and community services. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Corrections) 19. Review and research the availability, coordination, efficiency, and allocation of substance abuse treatment resources for probationers, pretrial defendants, people in the custody of the TDCJ, and parolees. This review should include methods to reduce and improve current assessments, training, and referring protocols and the identification of any barriers that may be impeding all of the above. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Corrections)
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY 1. Study the problem of identity theft and the impact of identity theft legislation enacted in recent legislative sessions. Examine the problem of electronic data breaches, as well as the feasibility of requiring periodic destruction of records for businesses and state entities to limit exposure to identity theft. Examine the issue of personal information contained in publicly available government records. Recommend any legislative changes needed to combat the problem. 2. Study Articles 2 and 2A of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and consider amending Chapters 2 and 2A of the Business and Commerce Code to conform with recent amendments to the UCC. 3. Study the original purposes, development, and current need for the Subsequent Injury Fund and determine whether this fund should be continued or altered. 4. Study the problem of digital piracy and make recommendations for legislative changes to address the problem facing movie producers and distributors, retailers, book publishers, the music industry, universities, and other copyright holders of creative content. This review should include an examination of the impact on state and local government sales tax revenues. 5. Monitor the Texas workers’ compensation system, and the continued implementation of the reforms of HB 7, 79th Legislature, Regular Session, by the Texas Department of Insurance and other state agencies. Specifically evaluate the recent decision by the Texas Supreme Court in Entergy v. Summers in terms of its impact on the system. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Insurance) 6. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON CULTURE, RECREATION, AND TOURISM 1. Review the rules, regulations, operations, programs, management, and statutes that govern the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. 2. Review the transfer of historical sites to the Texas Historical Commission from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. 3. Examine the process and procedures for directional signs as they relate to tourism. 4. Review the process and procedures related to use of open space land owned by the state as they relate to hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation. 5. Research and explore new ways to promote and improve economic development related tourism in the state. 6. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
- Study the performance of the Texas Enterprise Fund, the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, the Texas Economic Development Act, the Texas Enterprise Zone Program, and other economic development tools in promoting economic development in Texas, and recommend any needed statutory changes.
- Review the overall history, goals, and implementation of the various funds established by Article 5190.14, Vernon’s Texas Civil Statutes. Identify and recommend any changes necessary to clarify or improve the statute.
- Study the use of the Texas Economic Development Act since its enactment as HB 1200, 77th Legislature, Regular Session. Determine how the act may be enhanced to better attract significant capital investments by science and technology industries developing alternative energy sources. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Energy Resources)
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 1. Monitor federal rules and regulations on lending and determine the state’s role in regulating issues that relate to the mortgage foreclosure process, disclosures for loan terms, home equity, mortgage brokers, mortgage bankers, consumer protections, and counseling for mortgage products. 2. Monitor the implementation of HB 716, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, to determine if there is a need to further legislate the protection of homebuyers in mortgage fraud schemes, emphasizing the impact in the foreclosure process. 3. Study the adequacy and effectiveness of existing regulation of prepaid funeral benefits that are funded by insurance or annuity products and make recommendations for statutory changes necessary to further strengthen the regulatory system for protecting consumers. 4. Study practices involved in the sale and financing of a motor vehicle, including conditional delivery, negative equity, and retirement of existing debt on vehicle trade- in. 5. Study whether the state financial regulatory agencies should assist consumers in the investigation and correction of credit card billing errors. 6. Assess the extent of consumer protections in state regulations of short-selling of commodities, with a particular emphasis on the state’s enforcement authority and ways to ensure reliability in the short-selling market. 7. Examine the practice of marketing variable annuitie s and determine whether certain sales practices constitute fraud. 8. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM
- Research, investigate, and make recommendations on how electronic documents can be created, maintained, exchanged, and preserved by the state in a manner that encourages appropriate government control, access, choice, interoperability, and vendor neutrality. The committee shall consider, but not be limited to, public access to information, expected storage life of electronic documents, costs of implementation, and savings.
- Research, investigate, and make recommendations regarding litigation brought by school districts receiving state funds under Chapter 46, Education Code, for defective construction of instructional facilities and the state’s interest in ensuring the use of such funds for the repair or reconstruction of defective facilities or the return of state funds.
- Review authorized offices of inspector generals and assess the benefit of having a statewide office of inspector general for all executive branch agencies.
- Study and review current laws regarding licensing and regulation of professionals, as well as current laws regarding practice acts, and make recommendations on creating limitations and streamlining of licensure requirements, such as the public policy implications of decriminalization of license-related violations.
- Review a wide variety of state agencies with an eye to streamlining state government. Recommend the amendment or repeal of unnecessary statutory requirements, the deregulation of certain industries if in the public interest, and ways to implement agency efficiency recommendations identified by the Legislative Budget Board, the State Auditor’s Office, and the Sunset Advisory Commission.
- Evaluate and make recommendations, if necessary, regarding state contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Assess the feasibility of combining prescription drug programs of state health insurance programs. All recommendations should take into consideration any budgetary impacts. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Pensions and Investments)
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE
- Examine states that have made the transition from heavily regulated health insurance markets to less regulated markets in order to assess the impact on market competitiveness, prices, consumer satisfaction, and regulatory costs in those states. Specifically, identify current barriers and possible enhancements to flexibility in purchasing health insurance, including the purchase of health insurance plans offered in other states. Review and evaluate state law and agency rules related to the use of health savings accounts and health reimbursement arrangements, particularly by small businesses. Review possible tax incentives for purchasing private insurance.
- Study the practice of balanced billing by medical providers and determine which portions of the cost out-of-network care patients, insurers and providers should ultimately be responsible for paying.
- Research state and federal law to determine whether Texas may enact legislation that mandates proof of financial responsibility for vehicles entering the United States through Texas, as Texas citizens are required to provide when they enter Mexico. Study the possible benefits and costs of such legislation.
- Study and make recommendations on increasing the portability of health insurance in an increasingly fluid Texas labor market.
- Make recommendations on potential alternatives to the Texas Health Insurance Risk Pool for providing private health insurance to otherwise uninsurable individuals.
- Study and make recommendations regarding the feasibility of establishing a “health insurance exchange ” in Texas.
- Study the need for a state catastrophe fund to protect the Texas economy against major disasters. Examine the structure and performance of such funds in other states and assess the potential of such a fund to reduce the reinsurance costs and premiums borne by Texas homeowners.
- Research and evaluate the potential costs and benefits to the State of Texas of providing coverage for bariatric surgical procedures for state employees who have a specified minimum years of service with the state.
- Monitor the continued implementation of the Texas Financial Responsibility Verification Program authorized by SB 1670, 79th Legislature, Regular Session, and determine whether any further statutory enhancements are needed to reduce the number of uninsured motorists in Texas. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Transportation)
- Monitor the Texas workers’ compensation system and the continued implementation of the reforms of HB 7, 79th Legislature, Regular Session, by the Texas Department of Insurance and other state agencies. Specifically, evaluate the recent decision by the Texas Supreme Court in Entergy v. Summers in terms of its impact on the system. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Business and Industry)
- Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON PENSIONS AND INVESTMENTS 1. Evaluate the possibility of requiring the state and employee contribution rate to meet the annually required contribution for the statewide retirement funds each biennium in order to prevent unfunded liabilities. 2. Explore options for funding other post-employment benefits, and examine strategies employed by other governmental entities in addressing these obligations. 3. Study the impact of actuaries on public pension plans, and evaluate the need for legislation to ensure appropriate actuarial assumptions, actuarial audits or regulation of actuaries contracting with state pension plans. 4. Analyze the impact of allowing a retiree to return to work in the Texas Municipal Retirement System. 5. Assess the representational proportion of each of the stakeholder groups, eligibility requirements, qualifications, and selection and election procedures of the boards of trustees of the retirement systems. 6. Examine eligibility criteria for membership and possible inclusion of additional employees in the Law Enforcement and Custodial Officers Supplemental Retirement Fund (LECOSRF). Evaluate the effect of diversion of funds from the auto registration fee on the unfunded liability of the LECOSRF, and explore the possibility of creating a similar supplemental retirement program as part of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas for those members performing law enforcement duties. 7. Evaluate and make recommendations, if necessary, regarding state contracts with pharmacy benefit managers. Assess the feasibility of combining prescription drug programs of state health insurance programs. All recommendations should take into consideration any budgetary impacts. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Government Reform) 8. Examine the operation of the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System, its Board of Trustees and staff. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Urban Affairs) 9. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON URBAN AFFAIRS 1. Assess the current senior housing market and available options for affordable senior housing. 2. Research and update legislation that permits residential neighborhoods whose deed restrictions have lapsed to reinstate those deed restrictions or create needed deed restrictions through a petition committee by expanding them to more areas. 3. Study and evaluate the levels, methods and alternatives by which the state funds all affordable housing programs, focusing on administrative cost-effectiveness to determine greater returns on investment, savings and efficiency. Examine the current procedures and applications of the annual, integrated Low Income Housing Plan prepared by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and prepare recommendations for the development of a comprehensive, long-range, statewide plan or model to address growing needs throughout the state. 4. Monitor current methodology involving departmental rules, procedures and policies governing state and federal compliance in the evaluation and ranking of all multifamily affordable housing applications for the allocation of funds during the annual awards cycles. 5. Examine the development and implementation of a physical standards (asset oversight) rating system for multifamily residential rental facilities, to be used by all local and state issuers of tax-exempt bonds and tax credits, to determine eligibility for future financing and for compliance enforcement purposes. 6. Examine the policies and procedures by which local tax appraisers value rentrestricted affordable housing properties, and authorize legislatively established tax exemptions. Evaluate application and interpretation of existing statutes by local appraisal districts to affordable housing properties throughout the life cycle of developments. Make recommendations for statutory changes. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Local Government Ways and Means) 7. Examine the operation of the Houston Municipal Employees Pension System, its Board of Trustees and staff. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Pensions and Investments) 8. Monitor the report issued by the Independent Investigator for the Houston Police Department Crime Laboratory and Property Room, the independent panel review of certain criminal convictions prompted by the conclusions of this report, and the implementation by the City of Houston of any reforms recommended in this report. Also monitor other urban crime laboratories and their compliance with state laws regulating their functions. (Joint Interim Charge with the House Committee on Law Enforcement) 9. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
HOUSE COMMITTEE ON WAYS AND MEANS 1. Monitor the receipts of the franchise tax. 2. Examine fiscal implications of the list of items eligible for the sales tax holiday. 3. Study the policy and benefits of current sales tax treatment for information technology services, including research and development. 4. Monitor the agencies and programs under the committee’s jurisdiction.
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July 16, 2007
Noriega sounds like candidate without exit strategy
Standing outside the Capitol today, Democratic state Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston speculated that only personal catastrophe could deter him from trying for the U.S. Senate seat held by John Cornyn.
Noriega was at the Capitol to formally announce formation of an exploratory committee for the Senate race next year. He named Paul Hobby, the Democratic nominee for state comptroller in 1998 and the son of former Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby, as the chairman of his committee, and Arthur Gochman, former president of the Academy sporting goods chain, as his treasurer.
Asked what would deter him from running, Noriega said: “I don’t know at this point separate (apart from) a devastating personal experience. … If some tragedy struck the Noriega family, I don’t know how we’d respond, frankly.”
Noriega, an Army reservist taking a leave of absence from his job as a manager for CenterPoint Energy, is married to Melissa Noriega, a recently elected member of the Houston City Council. He would start the race from financial scratch compared with Mikal Watts, the San Antonio trial lawyer who reported nearly $5 million in hand as of the end of June. Cornyn reported an end-of-June balance of $5.3 million.
Noriega shrugged at his financial disadvantage: “This campaign is about what we bring in terms of bringing Texans together.”
Noriega spoke earlier on why he was weighing the race.
He otherwise said he favors the United States following the December recommendations of the Iraq Study Group on getting troops out of Iraq. He also said he sees no merit to construction of additional fences between Mexico and the United States. He suggested the fences authorized by Congress last year would never get built.
His parents, Joe and Tommie, watched from the shade of a tree. “He’s got a lot of experience,” Joe Noriega said afterward. “He’s got good references.”
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July 11, 2007
Noriega going exploring
Houston Rep. Rick Noriega won’t have mariachis playing, but he plans to launch his formal exploration of a U.S. Senate bid at a press conference outside the Capitol on Thursday.
The Democrat’s launch of an exploratory committee comes about six weeks after San Antonio lawyer Mikal Watts started his exploratory committee. Watts put more than $3 million into his effort up front and said on federal paperwork that he might spend $10 million on the race to unseat GOP Sen. John Cornyn, who’s soon expected to report a treasury balance of more than $5 million.
Fifty-plus Texas House members, all Democrats, have urged Noriega to enter the race. Now that’s not 50-plus endorsements, Noriega’s camp concedes, but it could reflect wide and deep support, at least among fellow legislators.
Every Austin Democrat in the House, except Rep. Dawnna Dukes, committed to a letter urging Noriega to go for it.
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June 29, 2007
Keel sticking as House parliamentarian
Former Austin Rep. Terry Keel, a Republican who only thought he was leaving the House when his last term ran out in January, plans to stick around as the House parliamentarian, a post he suddenly filled after the previous parliamentarian, Denise Davis, resigned late in the regular legislative session.
Davis and her assistant, Chris Griesel, quit the night House Speaker Tom Craddick told the House he didn’t have to recognize any motions for him to relinquish the speaker’s job.
Craddick’s office announced Keel’s appointment Friday afternoon. His assistant will be Kate Huddleston, who’s been on the speaker’s staff since 2003.
Craddick’s press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, June 29, 2007
Craddick names Keel to permanently fill House Parliamentarian vacancy
~Huddleston named Assistant Parliamentarian~
(AUSTIN) - Today, Speaker Tom Craddick (R - Midland) announced Terry Keel will permanently fill the position of House Parliamentarian. Mr. Keel had been appointed by Speaker Craddick on May 25th and has continued to perform the duties of the office on a part-time basis.
“Terry served as a member of the House for ten years and was respected in particular for his legal expertise and his thorough knowledge of the House rules,” Speaker Craddick said. “I am grateful that Terry has accepted my request to continue to serve the public in the role of House Parliamentarian.”
Mr. Keel served five terms as a member of the Texas House of Representatives, representing the Austin area from 1997 to 2007. Prior to his service in the House of Representatives, he served as Travis County Sheriff from 1992 to 1997. Mr. Keel also served as an assistant district attorney for the Travis County District Attorney’s Office and prior to that as an assistant district attorney for Brazos County. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston College of Law.
“I am honored to be asked to serve the House of Representatives in this role.” Mr. Keel said.
In addition to Mr. Keel’s assignment, Kate Huddleston is being named Assistant Parliamentarian. She has served on the Speaker’s staff since 2003. Her most recent prior assignment was as a policy analyst. She has a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations and a Bachelor of Arts in Government, both from the University of Texas at Austin.
Mr. Keel’s permanent assignment is effective July 1, 2007.
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June 25, 2007
Legislative aide reaches Taiwan, sees mariachis
David Holmes, a Texas House aide who doubles in his private life as a Texas member of the Democratic National Committee, landed a DNC-sponsored trip to Taiwan. He made it there—though his first sight happened to be mariachis.
A flight-report excerpt from his trip blog:
“Oh, and the greatest thing about the menu of food was the choice between two breakfasts entitled ‘Western Delight’ - which sounded reasonable; a nice, Four Seasons style American Breakfast - or, ‘Chinese Superiority’ : Pickled mustard greens with minced pork, “marinated, small cucumber slice,” and plain congee just didn’t seem superior to me in any way.”
Peek.
Permalink | | Categories: Comings and goings, House, On a Lighter Note
June 21, 2007
She cooked for five House speakers
Laura Medlock of Austin lost a bump in retirement pay after Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a proposal last week.
Amazingly, she cooked for five speakers of the Texas House over 36 years, starting with Price Daniel Jr., followed by Billy Clayton, Gib Lewis, Pete Laney and Tom Craddick.
Tidbits from a visit this week:
—Medlock, 84, grew up in a three-room house on a f