TRAIL BLAZERS

Hey, Lege-heads: if you haven't seen it, you should check out our Transportation blog, where Michael Lindenberger, Rodger Jones and Ted Kim are keeping tabs on transportation policy-making in Austin.

Today, Michael brings us an update from Rep. Joe Pickett, the House transportation chairman, on various issues, including the local-option tax so dear to the hearts of D-FW elected officials.

Some news from suburbia this week... Word on the street is that President Obama's new grassroots issues campaign -- Organizing for America -- is kicking the tires on putting an office in conservative Collin County.

The chatter coincides with activity elsewhere. Earlier this month, the group announced a new Texas leader, Luke Hayes. Now, Hayes is embarking on a Texas-wide "listening tour" to chat with and recruit volunteers.

When asked about the possibility of a Collin office, Natalie Wyeth, a Democratic spokeswoman in Washington, said in an email that nothing has been decided.

"We've asked local supporters and volunteers for suggestions on where it would be useful and convenient to have an OFA office in their area. Right now, Luke is working out of the Democratic Party headquarters in Austin. Anything else folks are saying about office space is speculative," she wrote.

Establishing an official campaign office in Collin County, of course, would be a bold move for Obama. Republicans have dominated the affluent suburban area for decades.

Still, experts say that the last few elections have revealed subtle Democratic shifts. Stay tuned.

Sometimes, Legislatures argue about important things ... other times, eh, not so much.

When Waco Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson sponsored an honorary resolution welcoming President George W. Bush back to Texas, he didn't expect Fort Worth Rep. Lon Burnam to accuse him of condoning waterboarding. Then there was the bout between paluxysaurus and technosaurus for official state dinosaur, which became headline fodder once fifth-grade Shashwath Murthy began lobbying for the older critter, technosaurus - an interesting aside, sure, but not on par with budget deficits, homeland security or rising college tuition.

But leave it to Oklahoma to file the king of all bills - a showdown over the official state rock song forced Gov. Brad Henry to override his own House on Thursday. An online, state-wide poll gave the designation to Oklahoma City's The Flaming Lips, but some lawmakers were peeved that a band member wore a communist themed t-shirt during what was supposed to be their triumphant vote for having the state rock song. Instead, lawmakers rejected the resolution and left the governor to proclaim the designation in an executive order ... and making the Anderson / Burnam debate look downright significant.

At first, I thought these arguments were pretty stupid. There are a number of important issues that lawmakers simply must address, and arguing over simple resolutions seems pretty insensitive. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it makes - these small battles help define the character of a government, and many of the real world's social debates surface right here. Are a state rock song or official dinosaur really that important? Nope. But discussions about the role of music and counter-culture are noteworthy, and exposing a kid to science and lawmaking is worthwhile. The same goes for squabbling over W.'s legacy, which will likely continue for years.

So after my initial shock wore off, there were only two things that bothered me. 1) These resolutions can be pretty time consuming, and when they are, they pull time away from the budget, college tuition and judicial reform. They merit conversation, sure - but please, be brief. Otherwise, they're actually okay.

And, 2) "Do You Realize," the new Oklahoma Rock Song, is a legitimately catchy tune, and Texas lacks a rock song. So now, the Sooner State has something cool that we don't have! We really need to fix that ... provided it only takes a few minutes.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst just named: Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, chairman of the Finance Committee; Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen, the committee's vice chairman; Forence Shapiro, R-Plano; Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands; and Royce West, D-Dallas.

You don't see this everyday: Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown, raised a point of order against a mandatory auto dealer education bill by House Administration Committee Chairman Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth. And Gattis succeeded.

Shortly thereafter, Gattis went to the back microphone with this joke about Geren, who oversees members' office budgets and various perks:

"Does the chair know why all the furniture in my office is being removed and my car is being towed?" Gattis said.

Speaker Joe Straus, smiling: "You might want to check with Mr. Geren."

Gattis: "Oh yeah, I should've thought of that ahead of time."

In the past week, National and state Democrats have beat a path through Dallas.

The message has been all about organizing.

Last Saturday a group called Organizing for America, an offshoot of Barack Obama's presidential campaign, played to about 100 people at the Bengal Coast restaurant in Oak Lawn.

On Thursday leaders of the Texas Democratic Trust, including Lisa Blue and Matt Angle, were in Dallas showcasing their blueprint for success in 2010.

And on Sunday Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is at the Angelika Theater at the Mockingbird Station to discuss the party's 50-state strategy. The event starts at 7 p.m. and is free to the public.

If the Democrats don't do well next year, it won't be due to a lack of planning.

Today's hearing on climate-change legislation in the House Energy and Commerce Committee features Al Gore and former Sen. John Warner. We have been waiting for the face-off between Gore and Joe Barton face-off all morning. (Barton denies that man-made CO2 emissions are to blame for global warming.)

The confrontation didn't disappoint. After Barton cited a book that questions the impact of higher carbon dioxide emissions on marine life, Gore accused Barton of relying on fraudulent information. Here's Gore's remarks:

"With all due respect, I believe that you have relied on people you have trusted who have given you bad information. I don't blame the investors who trusted Bernie Madoff, but he gave them bad information. He gave them bad information and committed a massive fraud that ended up hurting, most of all, the people who trusted him."

Gore then cited an article from this morning's NY Times that says a fossil-fuel industry group ignored the findings of its own scientists in the early 1990s when it continued to muddy the waters about the sources of climate change.

Barton's rejoinder was quick and sharp. Referring to the proclivity of the committee's Democratic leaders to conduct oversight investigations, Barton replied: "If somebody lied about something 14 years ago, I am sure Mr. Waxman and Mr. Markey will conduct an investigation and oversight hearing into that."

The House just had a tearful moment, passing a resolution in memory of Lena Guerrero, a trail blazer who died of brain cancer a year ago.

Guerrero was the first woman and first member of an ethnic minority to serve on the Railroad Commission. Before former Gov. Ann Richards appointed her in 1991, Guerrero served seven years in the House. Though born in the Valley to a migrant farmworker family, she represented central and east Austin.

"She was committed to empowering Latinas and all women in politics," said Rep. Norma Chavez, D-El Paso, choking back tears. She said Guerrero, whose promising political career ended over a falsified resume, always was willing to "help the next woman up the political ladder."

Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, said watching Guerrero debate a water bill made her want to run for the House. "This little feisty freshman from the Valley ... knew more about the needs of the people of the Valley for water than anything I have heard in my life. ... She was the best friend I ever had in this state."

New students at public and private universities in Texas who live in dorms or other on-campus housing would have to be vaccinated against bacterial meningitis before they could start classes under a bill the Senate passed on Friday. The measure would require first-year or transfer students to show proof of a vaccination against the highly contagious disease beginning in 2010.

The legislation by Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, which now goes to the House, stems from recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has called for routine innoculations of a number of groups at increased risk for contracting the disease, including college freshmen in dormitories. Since 2002, there have been 537 cases of bacterial meningitis in Texas, with 53 persons dying of the disease.

Meningococcal meningitis is caused by bacteria which infects the fluid of the spinal cord and the fluid surrounding the brain, and can result in brain damage, hearing loss, learning disability, and in some cases death.

Congress is picking over the bones of mammoths that once roamed the wilds of Texas. Metaphorically speaking.

A bill to designate the Waco site where a herd of mammoths died as a national monument got a positive hearing at a House panel Thursday. Waco City Manager Larry Groth went to Washington to testify about the project.

A mudslide wiped out more than two dozen Columbian mammoths some 68,000 years ago near the Brazos and Bosque rivers, in what is believed to be the largest concentration of mammoths dying in the same event in North America. So far 24 mammoths have been been discovered. And one camel.

"The Waco Mammoth Site is truly an American treasure," Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said at the hearing.

The head of the House subcommittee, Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., gave the bill his thumbs up. Both Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison support it, too.

Today, at the Capitol ...

There are no committee meetings today, and the Senate has an intent calendar with 70+ bills and a local/consent calendar for its 9 a.m. meeting. The Housealso begins a monster hearing at 9 a.m. - they've got no less than 54 bills on tap, more than twice their usual workload. They've also got the first "Major State Calendar" bill of the session. Here are some highlights of the upcoming discussion.

- The state could match, in some cases dollar-for-dollar, certain grants and scholarships awarded to "emerging research universities" throughout the state. Funds could potentially be available to Texas Tech, UNT, UT-Arlington or UT-Dallas, as well as three other schools around the state; the intent is to grow those universities into "tier one" schools, on par with UT, Rice & A&M.; The bill is written by Dallas Republican Dan Branch, and co-authored by several other Dallas-area representatives.

- Wrongfully convicted Texans could see a substantial check upon their release - up to $80,000 for every year in prison, in some cases. The bill raises boosts the dollar figure from $50,000, and also provides college tuition and health benefits to help rebuild their lives, provided they do not have prior convictions and do not sue the state over the wrongful conviction. House Bill 1736 is authored by both Dallas and Lubbock representatives, and has an identical companion bill in the Senate.

- The governor could potentially delay executions indefinitely under HJR 58, which would authorize a public referendum on a constitutional amendment to change the law. Currently, a governor can issue only one 30-day reprieve. It, too, has a sister bill in the Senate.

- Lower-profile bills dominate the rest of the agenda, including efforts to grant injury leave to peace officers hurt by "intoxication assault," establishing protective orders against dating violence and tightening regulations on laser hair removal facilities

- You can also watch live and archived proceedings in the House and Senate.

There are two big unknowns about who will negotiate the state budget, and both involve lawmakers from Dallas. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the tallest guy in the picture at right, supposedly wants to announce tomorrow his picks for the House-Senate conference committee that gets to hash out the two chamber's differences on how to spend some $180 billion. But the big guy has a problem.

If Dewhurst follows tradition, he'll appoint Finance Chairman Steve Ogden, R-Bryan; Finance Vice Chairman Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen; and then two Republicans and a Democrat, reflecting GOP control of the Senate. Will Dewhurst's second Democrat be Royce West of Dallas (below left), who ran Finance's education work group -- and was the only Senate Democrat who didn't sign a letter last week questioning use of federal stimulus dollars intended to help states fill holes, especially in their education budgets?

Or will Dewhurst maintain what's become something of a Senate tradition, picking Judith Zaffirini of Laredo (below right), who in 7 of the past 8 sessions has been the lone woman budget conferee from the Senate side? And then of course there's Dewhurst drinking buddy and Senate dean John Whitmire, D-Houston. He's been a conferee the past 3 sessions. But with Hinojosa well versed in criminal justice matters -- Whitmire's forte -- the Houstonian may be expendable.

Or, as one senator groused, "At some point, that 'dean' stuff has got to stop."

For GOP slots, Ogden normally likes to take at least 2 members of his inner circle on Finance -- Robert Duncan of Lubbock, Tommy Williams of The Woodlands and Kip Averitt of Waco -- to the Big Table. But if West gets the nod over Zaffirini, then there's pressure to get a health and welfare policymaker, not to mention a woman, on the team. So Jane Nelson of Flower Mound and Dr. Bob Deuell of Greenville get mentioned, with Plano's Flo Shapiro.

On the House side, Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, faces a central question: Although Speaker Pro Tem Craig Eiland, D-Galveston, is close to chief House budget writer Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie, there's been an African American budget negotiator from the House every session since 1993. And with Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, the vice chairman of Appropriations under Pitts, that means Straus probably will feel compelled to tap one of the four blacks on Appropriations. Most of the speculation centers on Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio (above left), or Helen Giddings, D-Dallas, who ran the business and economic development budget subcommittee.

Giddings (right) has been in the House 16 years, a few more than McClendon. But Giddings suffers from fears among some of the anti-Craddick Democrats who elected Straus speaker that she's too close to former Speaker Pro Tem Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, a Craddick ally. McClendon's from the speaker's hometown. All of Straus' possible African American picks were 'Craddick Ds' -- Dawnna Dukes of Austin and Al Edwards of Houston being the others.

Dukes is a longshot because most observers believe Pitts wants to take with him to conference Dr. John Zerwas, R-Houston, who with Dukes and Eiland and two others wrote the social services budget in subcommittee; and John Otto, R-Dayton, who worked on the education budget last session and ran a kitchen-sink budget subcommittee this time. It covered general government, natural resources, the judiciary and regulatory agencies.

One thing is for sure: Both Dewhurst and Straus will bitterly disappoint several folks. Expect both to talk about how the snubbed still can take part in budget talks. Expect none of the snubbed, though, to be even a tiny bit less bitter.

Senate Nominations Committee Chairman Mike Jackson said Thursday he'll make a decision early next week on whether to send the troubled nomination of State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy (right) to the full Senate. Although McLeroy would likely clear the nominations committee, his confirmation as chairman would need a two-thirds vote of the Senate, and most Democrats - who have 12 of 31 votes - are believed to be opposed to his appointment.

"I'm going to let everything cool down a little bit, then we'll decide what to do with him next week," Jackson said. "If the Democrats decide they're going to block the nomination, then we'll deal with that by not going through the committee process because there wouldn't be any point in doing that." If McLeroy is not confirmed by the Senate, he would have to give up his chairmanship in June and Gov. Rick Perry would pick another member of the education board to serve as chairman.

McLeroy, who was elected to the board, would continue to serve as a member even if he loses the chairmanship. The College Station Republican came under fire from Democrats during a Wednesday hearing at which Mc Leroy vigorously denied he has tried to inject his creationist views into the science curriculum of Texas schools. McLeroy has been chairman of the education board since the summer of 2007. "The guy is obviously very controversial," Jackson said of the board chairman.

The House under Straus has had such a love in this session, we've been expecting hippies and Yoko Ono on the floor any day now.

Well, this afternoon, things got a little more, ahem, House-like.

We had our first roll call vote of the session get challenged. This happens on a close vote. And it kills, probably, 15 minutes as each of the 150 members' names is read and his or her vote is verified. It's called verification. We saw a lot of it the last two sessions, before Speaker Tom Craddick yielded the gavel to Joe Straus.

Today's trip switch? A Harold Dutton amendment to a Pete Gallego bill strengthening criminal penalties for strangulation or suffocation in a dating relationship or as an act of domestic violence. Dutton wanted there to be "obvious evidence" of a physical injury before penalties jump to 2 to 10 years in prison, from up to 1 year in jail -- even more if the defendant had a prior conviction for certain violent offenses.

But Gallego, D-Alpine, who heads the House's criminal law panel, prevailed in tabling Dutton's proposal after v-e-r-i-f-i-c-a-t-i-o-n knocked off some of Dutton's votes. Gallego ended up with a 13 vote margin.

Good news for Longhorn fans who are still upset about being edged out of the Bowl Championship Series last year. (Despite beating the Oklahoma Sooners, who ended up losing to Florida in the title game.)

President Barack Obama is not backing off the need for a college playoff system.

Obama reemphasized his position on college football when he met Thursday with the Florida Gators, the controversial winners of this year's tournament.

"Now, last point I would make. I don't want to stir up controversy. You guys are the national champions -- I'm not backing off the fact we need a playoff system. But I have every confidence that you guys could have beat anybody else. And so we'll see how that plays itself out," Obama told the team gathered in the East Room.

Apparently, the players got all quiet after that.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, is on the same team as the president on this one. Barton has introduced a bill to force a playoff system and wants to hold hearings in Congress.

As Longhorns would say, holding their Hook 'Em Horns high, "Mr. President, the Eyes of Texas are upon you."

Vice President Joe Biden heads to Texas next Tuesday, mostly to help shake the money tree, his office just announced.

He'll be in Austin first, visiting the National Domestic Violence Hotline Center and appearing at a lunch to raise money for the Democratic National Committee. He'll headline a dinner that night in Houston for the DNC.

This is his first visit to Texas as vice president. Obama hasn't yet made it since taking office. And, since it would take about a week to get there on his beloved Amtrak, he'll be flying Air Force 2.

Even a bite of lunch didn't calm the unusually feisty House today. After a scrape over a bill letting state workers get a bit of paid leave each month, if they need to appear in court on behalf of abused kiddoes, members came back with full bellies -- and scraped and clawed some more.

Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, a foe of legal abortion, tried to get "pregnancy crisis centers" -- some would call them fake abortion clinics -- the same most favored charity status as CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates, the beneficiary of Rep. Joe Pickett's bill. Pickett, D-El Paso, pleaded, "Let us have a clean bill." Chisum pulled down his amendment, and members recessed to eat.

Some 90 minutes later, freshman Rep. Randy Weber, R-Pearland, proposed that legislative staff aides be allowed 10 hours a month of paid leave during session to serve as CASA volunteers. "Ridiculous amendment," Pickett fumed.

Retorted Weber: "I'm just not sure the state should pay for it. There's lots of worthy causes."

Just in case there was any doubt, Texas Republicans like the governor's succession talk. During last week's anti-tax "tea party" protests, several people carried signs and shouted "Secede!" at an Austin ralley were Rick Perry spoke. Perry didn't call for secession, but said he understands how they feel. The governor's decision not to distance himself from those calling for secession was all the talk on cable networks and the subject of jokes on late-night TV -- but it was music to Texas Republicans, who will vote in the GOP primary next March.

A new poll by Daily Kos found that while most Texans didn't approve of the way Perry talked about secession, a majority of Republicans liked it just fine. Here's the question and the results:

Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Rick Perry's suggestion that Texas may need to leave the United States?

Approve: 37
Disapprove: 58

Democrats: Approve 16, Disapprove 80
Republicans: Approve 51, Disapprove 44
Independents: Approve 43, Disapprove 50

Said political scientist Jerry Polinard at the University of Texas-Pan American: "There may have been comedy routines about Perry for the rest of the nation, but every joke that Jay Leno made about him probably picked him up a few hundred votes."

Breaking news - apparently, I am taller than Tom Craddick.

Not by very much, but I am - and I'm only about 5'6". I saw him up close for the first time yesterday on the House floor, talking to Denton Rep. Myra Crownover, just a few feet away from me. This is a man I'd read about for years, the kind that struck rage into the hearts of liberal college students and made aspiring journalists drool at the thought of covering the Capitol. My generation didn't really start paying attention until he ruled the roost, and he had such an awesome presence in Austin that I naturally assumed he'd be a giant.

Think Russell Crowe with short hair and a West Texas accent. But that's not at all accurate - he's not a bear, and from what I can tell, he's got a sense of humor and a fairly soft-spoken voice.

I didn't actually have the courage to say anything to him, of course. He's still a goliath of Texas politics, and I'm still just an intern. But it's getting to the point where I can match names with faces on the House floor, and I'm realizing that most are the kinds of folks you could see just as easily at Randall's.

I think some politicians seem larger than life when we read about them in the media, but they're not so unworldly once you actually talk to them. They're intelligent and engaged, sure, but they're not exactly supermen.

So, to everyone in who called me short in the second grade - take that.

Most Texans probably don't realize it, but they're prohibited under state law from buying guns or ammunition anywhere but Texas and its four neighboring states. The Senate voted Thursday to drop that prohibition and let state residents purchase firearms, ammunition and accessories in all 50 states.

Sen Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, said the state ban on firearm purchases in 45 states was enacted when the Federal Gun Control Act prohibited residents of any state from buying guns in noncontiguous states. Federal law has since been altered to allow interstate purchases except those precluded by law. The state law has prevented the FBI and ATF from approving otherwise lawful sales of firearms to Texans, according to sponsors of the bill. The measure now goes to the House.