“For The Limited Purpose….”

The House is in session and is doing technical corrections right now. Craddick prefaces nearly every recognition with, “Mr. XXX is recognized for the limited purpose of…”

Moreno asked if every recognition today would be for “limited purpose.” Craddick said yes.

The Dictator In The Chair

Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland) began his tenure as House Speaker in 2003 as the illegitimate heir of a Republican coup engineered by Tom DeLay and paid for with illegal campaign contributions and illegal campaign activities.

Today, on what will likely be the last day Craddick presides as a speaker in the Texas House (and likely the last day a Republican Speaker will preside in that chamber for the foreseeable future), he ends his tenure as a Texas-sized dictator who has survived coup attempt after coup attempt only through sheer luck and intimidation.

Events of this weekend, when Craddick refused to recognize motions to vacate the Chair, serve to fully illustrate just how dictatorial Craddick has become.
While the power of the Speaker to recognize or not recognize a member is not new and has been in the House rules for decades, Craddick is the first speaker in history to utilize that power in such a way to make himself immune to criticisms and even a coup.

For decades, Speakers have used the power to recognize (or rather, not recognize), judiciously and sparingly. While a Speaker could fail to recognize anyone on a point of order that would kill bills he supports, few speakers have even used the power to fail to recognize for this purpose. A classic example is when Speaker Laney recognized former Rep. Arlene Woghlemuth in 1997 for her points of order that resulted in the “Memorial Day Massacre.” Former Congressman and State Rep. Craig Washington was even recognized in his day to use a point of order to kill a school finance bill during Bill Clayton’s speakership.

Anti-Craddick Republican Mike Krusee, during a point of personal privilege last night, made a comment which is very germane to Craddick’s dictatorial stance:

Mr. Speaker, we can disagree on many things, but you cannot disagree with the fact that you are here because we put you here. Inherent in the granting of power to the speaker is the retention of our right to speak and question the presiding officer. This rules interpretation denies us this right.”

Tom Craddick has become a dictator in his own right.

He has, if you will, become Texas’ own Ferdinand Marcos. Except, instead of looting the treasury for his own gain and buying his wife six thousand pairs of shoes, he has led the looting of our treasury to pay for tax cuts for the rich at the expense of Texas children and used money from big business to set himself and his wife, Nadene, in a capitol apartment fit for Ferdinand and Imelda themselves.

And, he abuses his power to make certain that no one can overthrow him, even in the waining hours of his reign.

Democrats For Reform Press Conference: What Reform?

Democrats for Reform is holding a press conference right now (live feed here). Democrats for Reform, is, of course, the group of Craddick-allied Democrats who put out a “reform” agenda earlier this year.

The reality of their agenda, however, is that it didn’t amount to much and that this group actually circumvented some other good reforms.

Some Concerned Texas Democrats sent me this, which is an analysis of the Democrats For Reform Agenda. It’s very illuminating. Copied below the jump (stuff in () is the analysis and reality):

Read more

LAMPSON WILL NOT SEEK U.S. SENATE SEAT

Will seek re-election in CD 22 instead.

Breaking; more to follow this afternoon.

Missed Opportunities Of The 80th Legislature: Tax Cuts Put Above Human Needs

[Ed. Note: This is the first in a multi-part series we'll be posting at Capitol Annex this week, "Missed Opportunities Of The 80th Legislature." Today's installment in this post-mortem deals with the adoption of the state budget, House Bill 1, which was adopted last night by both chambers of the Legislature]

Many times during the 80th Legislature, we’ve talked about the “human needs” facing the great state of Texas: record numbers of uninsured children, the mess at the Texas Youth Commission, problems at facilities for the mentally and physically impaired,  a pay raise for teachers, real education reform, skyrocketing tuition rates at public colleges and universities, the health care crisis, high electric rates, and legions more.

The Texas Legislature and its Republican leadership, however, forced all of those human needs to take a seat on the back of the bus as they forced through over-the-top, bogus tax cuts designed for “property tax relief.” This led to many of the biggest missed opportunities of the 80th Legislature.

We began the session with a “surplus.” Although the only reason for that surplus was because of drastic health and human service cuts made by the Legislature in 2003 and 2005, this surplus nonetheless afforded the Legislature the opportunity to right many wrongs of the past. It enabled the Legislature to give a leg up to the children of working-class parents who cannot afford health insurance, give teachers a much-needed pay raise, and more.

In classic form, however, the Texas Legislature, led by its dictatorial Republican Majority and House Speaker Tom Craddick, squandered this opportunity.

Early in the Session, House Bill 2 set aside $14.2 billion to fund over-the-top property tax “cuts.” Never mind that the Republican majority made these cuts more steep than necessary to appeal to their rabid, anti-tax, right wing base when, in reality, they could have spread this out over another session.

Six-point-one billion dollars of this money came from General Revenue, not from the Property Tax Relief Fund which was specifically created for the purpose of buying down the property tax rate.

Property tax cuts was the number-one priority of Governor Perry, Speaker Craddick, Lt. Governor Dewhurst, and the entire Republican majority of the Texas Legislature. Each and every one of these men and women made a conscious decision and concerted effort to put property tax cuts which help the wealthiest of home owners above any and all other needs which faced our state this session.

House Bill 1, the General Appropriations Act, might as well have been considered the scraps left from Cesar’s table in spite of the fact it is the vehicle by which the vast majority of the state’s fiscal needs are addressed.
The very premise of this year’s appropriations process began with a fundamental flaw: Governor Perry’s dictate that all state agencies decrease their budgets by 10 percent.

As a result, each and every state agency was thus at a disadvantage. It meant a long fight to get merely to previous funding levels, much less getting an increase.

Too, the Republican-dominated conference committee on the budget abdicated its awesome responsibilities. In 2003, the conference committee on the
budget met publicly for a total of 57 hours and 44 minutes to hash out differences between House and Senate budgets. The conference committee of the 80th Legislature spent less than 9 hours in conference committee, leaving most of the budget to be written behind closed doors, hindering the public and other representatives from engaging in the budget process.

Inclusive of tax cuts, the state will spend $166.7 billion this session.

While this is a $53 billion increase in funding since the 77th Legislature, fewer children receive CHIP coverage, schools aren’t receiving adequate funding, college tuition is skyrocketing, the poor cannot pay their electric bills, and on and on, in spite of the largest tax hike in Texas history.

The $14.2 billion property tax buy down would have been better spent. Furthermore, the concept of  deciding when and where to cut taxes before laying out general appropriations is a shining example of bad public policy.
In a time where $104 million could be spent nearly anywhere in the budget and have a tangible impact, the conference committee tossed that amount to Texas Governor Rick Perry’s slush fund, the Texas Enterprise fund, and threw another $16.5 million to the Emerging Technology Fund (which, it should be noted, subsidizes a grand total of about nine companies). There are dozens of other uses where this money would have made an impact.

In addition, a whopping $5,653,783 has been appropriated for each year of the budget for abstinence-only education. This is an initiative that is the product of Republicans and religious right. And, it doesn’t work.

In the budget, missed opportunities abound in the area of higher education. Plus, 7,000 fewer students will receive assistance from the TEXAS Grants Program.

Further, the conferees cut the teacher pay raise passed by the House down to  a measly $425 per year.  It is so bogus it is an insult.

In terms of criminal justice, the Conference Committee also dumped all qualifiers for building new prisons meaning that all that is necessary to build a new prison is an okay from the Legislative Budget Board.

Further, much needed funding for the Texas Youth Commission, the single-most troubled agency in the state, was removed by the conferees, going against the initial goals of the Texas Legislative Oversight Committee which hoped to
increase the amount of funding for treatment based facilities and programs at both TDCJ and TYC.

In terms of state parks, another major need, rather than raising the cap on the Sporting Goods Tax, which was favored by 127 members of the House, a rider was tacked on to require TP&WD to conduct an interim study on improving the management of the park system.  Instead of appropriating money, the budget dictates a study. Super stupid.

Point of Order Withdrawn…

POO is withdrawn by Talton.

Talton Calls Point Of Order On Budget

The headline tells it all. Can you say, “special session?”

I think I am going to vomit. Seriously, this is so nauseating. If ANYONE in the lege or any staffer is reading this from the capitol, we can’t get the live feed, so please email us (vince.leibowitz-at-gmail.com) and share some gossip (anon. of course). Please. We’re in dire need of tips.

Liveblogging: House Sunday

Man, I go out of town for a couple of days and all hell breaks out. The parlimentarians resign and Terry Keel and Ron Wilson are hired in their place. It’s like a revolution.

2:40 Moreno just lectured Craddick on his rulings.

2:43: Stramma asking questions of Craddick. Craddick sounds like a corpse as he speaks.

2:44 Craddick is repeating verbatim exactly What Terry Keel and Won Wilson whisper in his ear. Terry Keel, btw is presently representing Rep. Harold Dutton in his DWI case.

2:46: Craddick says he is not required to recognize anyone for a parlimentary inquiry and that he is not required to essentially recognize anyone for anything. He sounds sooooo defeated.

2:47: Keel is literally feeding Craddick each and every single word that he is saying. This is historic. It’s amazing. I cannot believe I’m sitting here watching this.

2:50: Craddick tells Strama to sit down and put questions in the journal, then allows him one more parlimentary inq.

2:50: Rep. Leibowitz asks questions about a potential motion to vacate to insure that everyone is on the same page. Is continually refered to journal entry. Says it’s not there. Continues with parliamentary inquiries.

2:56: Hartnett is reading from Precedents of the House of Representatives. Concerning Speaker declining to recognize motions.

2:57: Zedler asks if there is a deadline and can we get on to the people’s business instead of some people’s “personal business.” He is cheered by a very few members.

2:58: Harper Brown does similar to Zedler.

3:03 Speaker Pro Tem is in the chair (Turner), just sustained a point of order for Dunnam from yesterday. Now King is up on a point of personal privilege.

3:15: Perry sends a message to say he’s rejecting a concurrent resolution by Bonnen to declare something as the official amphibian of Texas. How stupid.

3:16: Coleman is asking if the Senate can reconsider HB 486. Asks if it is possible for conference committee on 482 to go back through and write a new conference report, suspend rules, and pass it. Senate can discharge its conferees and concur.

3:18 p.m.: Strama making a point of personal privilege.

“I haven’t slept in two nights and it is not over the question of whether we should vacate the chair, but because we have passed a new rule that says the power of the speaker is absolute… That, I believe, turns this entire rule book into something that is totally recyclable.”

3:25: Strama’s spech was great. Can’t wait until it is transcribed.

Patrick Rose Rumors

Patrick Rose, who this week announced he was no longer a Craddick supporter, is subject of a fairly interesting rumor de jour. We’ve confirmed this from several reliable sources who tell us it’s correct.

Rep. Rose reportedly had dinner last week with some Texans for Lawsuit Reform folks. They told him he should consider a 2010 run for Texas Attorney General.

Then, this week, he disavowed Craddick, who is heavily supported by TLR.
Yesterday, Rose reportedly tried to rejoin the Speaker’s leadership team. He reportedly sought out Rep. Kino Flores for help reparing the broken relationship. The effort was reportedly rejected by Craddick.

We’ve now heard that, this morning, Rose called Russ Tidewll of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association with the announcement he’s ready to play ball with them.

Fun, fun, fun.

[Ed. Note: Capitol Annex sent an email to a Rose staffer, but it bounced back to us. If Rep. Rose has any comments on this, please email them to vince.leibowitz-at-gmail.com and we'll gladly post them.]

Cancer Proposal Originated With Democrats

Remember how the cancer research initiative Governor Perry proposed in his State of the State Address was one of the most talked-about things early on in the session? Remember how even some of us Dems were giving credit to the governor for wanting to do something about cancer?

Well, turns out that the idea wasn’t original to the Governor, but rather to a former statewide Democratic officeholder:

But the initial idea — or at least its precursor — came almost a decade ago in a duck blind, according to former state Comptroller John Sharp. He said he, former Travis County Democratic Party Chairman Ken Wendler and John Mendelsohn, president of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, were on a hunting trip in Port Lavaca when Sharp was running for lieutenant governor in 1998. The men talked about starting a cancer research project after Sharp was in office, Sharp said.

But Sharp lost the race — to Perry — and the cancer project didn’t progress.

Fast forward eight years. Last Fourth of July, Mendelsohn joined Wendler and Wendler’s partner, Cathy Bonner, who served in Gov. Ann Richards’ Cabinet, at a summer retreat in New York. At the time, Bonner said, Richards was being treated for esophageal cancer, and her health weighed heavily on Bonner’s mind.

The group revisited the idea of a cancer research project for Texas. Later, Sharp and Bonner founded killcancer.org to push the plan. and Bonner reached out to Armstrong. “The rest,” Sharp said, “is history.”

So, the real credit here belongs to a Democrat. Interesting.

This, of course, is a bit of a bizarre thing, because the proposal approved by the Lege calls for $3 billion in voter-approved bonds. Of course, had we not spent the vast majority of the surplus buying down property tax rates, perhaps the initiative could have been properly funded without a constitutional amendment.

Alas, alas, alas.

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