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Texas Misconceptions
• We ride horses to school . . . .
• If we don’t ride horses, then we have gun racks on the back of our pickups.
• All the women look like Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders.
• We mangle the language (e.g., George W. Bush). Gaffs
• We are all dumb.
• We’re rude and crude (e.g., Lyndon Johnson).
Points to Ponder . . . .
• In 1965, a member of the Texas House submitted a resolution commending Albert DeSalvo for his efforts in population control. No one checked to see who Mr. DeSalvo was. It passed.– The next day, the New York Times informed the world
that the Texas Legislature had just commended the “Boston Strangler.”
• In 1969, a newly elected member of the Texas House was in Austin for new member orientation. That night he went out on 6th street, got drunk and when a bouncer tried to escort him out of the establishment, he pulled a gun and informed the patrons that “I’m a member of the legislature, and you can’t do this to me.”– This also made the New York Times.
Points to Ponder . . . .
• In the early 90’s, a member of the legislature introduced a resolution to create a committee to recommend to the next session of the legislature the “official color of the official state condom.” It passed.
• In the mid 90’s, during a debate on an open container law, a member of the legislature stated that “Bubba, after a hard day’s work at the factory or on the farm, deserves to swig a few on the way home.”
• “If you took all the fools out of the Legislature, it wouldn’t be a representative body anymore.”
Carl Parkerformer State Senator
Points to Ponder . . . .
• In early 1997, Senator Drew Nixon (R-Carthage) was arrested in South Austin with an unlicensed handgun in his automobile after he was taped and filmed bargaining for sex from an undercover policewoman. He pled guilty to a Class B misdemeanor and served a 6-month sentence on weekends while continuing in office.– His election campaign focused on “family values.”
• In 1999, a 20-year-old Brazosport College student working for Senator J.E. Brown (R-Lake Jackson) complained that he had fondled and attempted to kiss her while giving her a golf lesson in his law office. Although Brown publicly gave his former employee a letter of apology, he continued in office.
The Rise of the Republicans1970-2000
Texas Democrats are more conservative than Democratic.
Democratic presidential candidates have been viewed by many Texans as being “too liberal.”
Bedroom communities of major Texas cities have attracted white collar industries whose workers tend to be Republican.
Blacks and Hispanics, who tend to be Democrats, do not turn
out to vote to the same extent as Anglos.
Impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The Fall of the Republicans??2020+
The labor force today is 64 percent Anglo and 22 percent Hispanic. By 2030 it will be 45 percent Hispanic and 37 percent Anglo.
The average household income for 2000 was $45,736. In 2030 it will be $42,620.
Mitt Romney’s Stance on Hispanic Issues:
He vowed to veto the DREAM Act which wouldmake non-citizens who serve in the military eligible for citizenship.
He favored a system of self-deportation, a policythat involves making economic conditions so difficult for undocumented workers that they chooseto leave the country. If they want to return, theywould then get in the “back of the line.”
Arizona Immigration Law:Requires that state law enforcement officials attemptto determine an individual’s immigration status during a “lawful stop, detention, or arrest” or during a “lawful contact” not specific to any activity.
Sotomayor Vote
Latino Vote:44% for Bush (2004)31% for McCain (2008)27% for Romney (2012
The Fall of the Republicans??2020+
2000 2020 2050
Non-Hispanic, White
Black
Hispanic Asian
National Totals
Other
IF THE LEGISLATURE WAS A REPRESENTATIVE BODY
% OF TEXAS POPULATION
% OF 2007 HOUSE MEMBERSHIP
% OF 2007 SENATE MEMBERSHIP
MEN 50 78 87
AFRICAN-AMERICAN
12 9 6
ANGLO 53 70 74
HISPANIC 32 19 19
ASIAN 3 1 0
“The future of Texas is tied to its minority populations. How well they do is how well Texas will do.”
Steve Murdock, demographer, Texas A&M University
“Along with bar rooms and bordellos, there has not been a more male-dominated institution . . . than the Texas legislature. These three worlds have a lot in
common, such as liquor, tobacco, money, fist fights, and, of course, politics. They are also arenas of male dominion and social bonding.”
Nancy Baker Jones, historian
LIMITED SESSION
140 Day Session
Odd Numbered Years (only 4 states have biennial sessions)
Early January
Early June
LIMITED SESSION
140 Day Session
Odd Numbered Years
Early January
Early June
If a disputed bill passes at all,
when will it pass?
Role of Lobbyists
80% of the votes come in the last two weeks
Voting
If you ask the question, “Whose bill is it?” what you mean is, which lobby wrote it. If you want to know which legislator is sponsoring the bill, you ask, “Who’s carrying the bill?
Shows the influence of Lobbyists
“If you meet only occasionally, get paid little, and have weak staffs, you are at the disposal of the lobby because you have to go to them for information.”
Cal Jillson,political scientist
Where Does Texas Rank??
Category Year Rank
Per capita state government expenditure 2010 49
% of insured low income children 2010 50
Average consumer credit score 2010 49
Spending on state arts agencies 2010 43
Affordability of homeowners’ insurance 2011 49
% of population with health insurance 2010 50
# of high school graduates 25 and over 2010 50
Affordability of residential electric bill 2010 50
Where Does Texas Rank??
Category Year Rank
Birth rate 2010 2
Amount of carbon dioxide emissions 2011 1
# of clean water permit violations 2011 1
Amount of hazardous waste generated 2011 1
% of population uninsured 2011 1
# of executions 2011 1
% of low income population covered by Medicaid 2010 49
Per capita spending on mental health 2010 50
Where Does Texas Rank??
Category Year Rank
Sales tax dependence 2011 2
Overall birth rate 2010 2
Teenage birth rate 2010 3
Amount of exposure to ozone pollution 2010 4
# of hazardous chemical spills 2005 2
High school graduation rate 2010 43
Women’s voter turnout 2010 49
% of voting age population that votes 2010 45
Mean SAT test scores 2011 47
TEXAS MAJOR STATE AND LOCAL TAXES AS A PERCENTAGE OF HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Lower Income
Lower Middle
Middle Income
Upper Middle
Upper Income
Sales Tax 5.9% 3.5% 2.8% 2.6% 1.8%
Gas Tax 0.8% 0.5% 0.4% 0.3% 0.2%
Motor Vehicle
Tax0.7% 0.5% 0.5%
0.4% 0.3%
Local Property
Tax4.7% 2.7% 2.3% 2.3% 2.0%
Texas State Comptroller, 2007
Who Would Run??
• Someone who is independently wealthy – Per diem pushes the compensation to
approximately $30,000/yr• Someone who is self-employed• Someone who would benefit from added name
recognition– Such as a lawyer or a realtor
• Someone who wants to use this office as a stepping-stone to another office
• Someone who wants to become a lobbyist
Legislative Salaries in the Ten Most Populous States
State Annual Salary
California $110,886
Texas $7,200
New York $79,500
Florida $29,916
Pennsylvania $69,647
Illinois $57,619
Ohio $56,241
Michigan $79,650
North Carolina $14,951
Georgia $16,524
2010
Legislatures Staffed with Professionals
(full-time, well-staffed, well-paid)
California
Florida
Illinois
Massachusetts
Michigan
New Jersey
New York
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin
WHAT’S IT COST TO RUN?
2006
OFFICE INCUMBENT CHALLENGER
HOUSE $267,300 $91,400
SENATE $835,000 $235,200
TURNOVER (1971-2010)
Texas House ranged from 7% to 51%(23% in 2010)
Texas Senate ranged from 3% to 45%(7% in 2010)
Compare to Congress
AVERAGE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
HOUSE 8
SENATE 13
2009
With high turnover the new members are learning the rules and finding their way. The allows the few “old timers” to
control the legislative process.
PRESIDING OFFICERS
• Appoint all committee chairs and vice chairs
• Appoint one-half of the members of all substantive committees
• Appoint all members of conference committees
• Recognize (or not) members who wish to speak on the floor
• Break a tie vote
Speaker Lieutenant Governor
GETTING BILLS TO THE FLOOR
• House Calendars Committee– Controlled by the Speaker– Similar to the Rules Committee in the U.S.
House
GETTING BILLS TO THE FLOOR
• Senate, Suspension of the Rules– Bills require a 2/3’s vote to be considered
on the floor**• “The two-thirds rule protects the conservatives
from wacky liberal bills, and it protects the liberals from wacky conservative bills.”
• “It imposes adult behavior on people who might be otherwise inclined.”
Jeff Wentworth, State Senator R., San Antonio
Kel Seliger, State Senator, R., Amarillo
“For state government to work, three people have to work together, and
they have to work well together—the governor, the lieutenant governor and
the speaker.”
Pete Gallego, state representative, D., Alpine
Power of Lt. Governor
“A speaker who uses the office fully can virtually determine what does and what does not become
law in Texas.”
Ben Barnes, former speaker of the Texas House