Lege Lines

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst opens the second special session with a political target on his back. (Photo by Jana Birchum)

Back Again ... Already

The never-ending 83rd session keeps rolling, with the House and Senate both gaveling in for the second special session at around 2pm on July 1. While there was speculation that there could be a Democratic push to break quorum, much as the House caucus hightailed it to Ardmore, Okla., or the Senate Dems headed to Albuquerque, N.M., to derail redistricting in 2003. But this time around, the bigger risk was from lawmakers of both parties heading out on vacation for the Fourth of July weekend. In a sign that the Republican leadership was not prepared to risk a full-blown civil war over missed family reunions, both chambers have adjourned until 10am, Tuesday, July 9.

Google Me, I'm Gone

There was a significant Austinite absence from the House floor on July 1. Travis County Democrat Rep. Mark Strama was nowhere to be seen. Strama had resigned his seat immediately after the first special session ended, and will now head up Google Fiber's Austin operation. Three impacts: 1) his exit reduces the Democrats' ability to break quorum; 2) the race to replace him just gets hotter, as his seat will now be contested in a special election; and 3) since Strama was an undeclared front-runner for mayor of Austin, his exit changes that race. County Dems have already started reaching out to potential candidates.

Where in the World is Joe Straus?

There was an even higher profile absence than Stra­ma on opening day. Speaker Joe Straus was nowhere to be seen, with Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, filling in as speaker pro tem. Relations between Straus and Gov. Rick Perry have reached an all-time low, with the speaker taking the governor to task for his demeaning comments about the personal life of Sen. Wendy Davis.

The Other Bills

While most attention has been centered on Senate Bill 1, the refiled abortion restrictions, lawmakers have other business to keep themselves occupied during this session. The two bills that went down with SB 5 during the last special – SB 23, introducing new sentencing guidelines for 17-year-olds charged with capital crimes, and Senate Joint Resolution 2, reallocating money currently set for the Rainy Day Fund into the State Highway Fund – are back with new numbers: SB 23 has been refiled as SB 2 in the Senate and HB 4 in the House, while SJR 2 is now SJR 1.

Dewhurst in the Doldrums

In the dual role of president of the Senate and lieutenant governor of the state, Lt. Gov. David Dew­hurst is arguably the most powerful man in Texas politics. But since the collapse of his efforts to force through the abortion restrictions in SB 5, the Lite Guv has become a marked man. His recent appearances have taken on the air of Julius Caesar heading into the Senate. Proponents of SB 5 blame his mismanagement for giving Davis time to filibuster. And backers of the road cash in SJR 2 were furious that he didn't get that measure passed before the filibuster rolled straight over it. Sensing political blood in the water, his three main announced challengers in the 2014 elections – Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, and Houston Sen. Dan Pat­rick – attacked him in press releases (see "Dewhurst Down, and Out Come the Jackals," Newsdesk blog, June 27) and called for a change in leadership. Dewhurst quickly tried to restore his burnished credentials with the evangelical right by appearing at the National Right to Life Convention in Dallas, and then on air with right-wing talk show pundit Ed Morrissey. Unfortunately, in doing so he struck a bizarrely antagonistic stance towards the Capitol press corps, with a wild accusation that members of the media had been "waving and trying to inflame the crowd, incite them in the direction of a riot" (see "Dewhurst Versus the First Amendment," Newsdesk blog, June 29). If he found evidence of such, he darkly intoned, reporters could face 48 hours in jail. The next morning, Dewhurst reversed his position, saying that his staff had reviewed the tapes, found no evidence of riot-incitement, and adding that he "has a deep and abiding respect for the Texas press corps."

Another Chance for Tuition Revenue Bonds?

Texas' state universities are facing severe infrastructure issues – too many students, too few seats, and some facilities unsuitable for the demands of higher education. Now lawmakers are filing bills to issue construction bonds to relieve that pressure. These revenue bonds failed to make it out of either the regular or first special session, but Sen. Kel Seliger, R-Amaril­lo, has brought them back as SB 6. Meanwhile, Sens. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, and Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, have filed separate bond bills for UT-Austin and A&M-San Antonio, respectively. Their hope is that Gov. Rick Perry will extend the call again, and let them bring this desperately needed investment package back to the floor.