By Robb Orr, GalleryWatch.com
Austin, TX –
A spokesman for Congressman Tom DeLay (R-Sugar Land) described it as "yet another legal victory" when Judge Pat Priest on Monday dismissed charges against DeLay of conspiring to violate the state election code. But with charges of money laundering and conspiring to engage in money laundering still on the table, DeLay's chances of returning to his leadership post in Congress are dwindling.
Now that Priest has ruled, the state has until Dec. 20 to appeal the ruling. The trial is expected to begin early next year. Meanwhile, in an effort to speed things along, DeLay attorney Dick DeGuerin on Wednesday filed a motion requesting that his client be tried separately from his codefendants on the money laundering charge. DeGuerin also submitted a letter to Priest urging him to set a hearing as soon as Dec. 12 to address Change of Venue and Prosecutorial Misconduct motions.
Vacancies continued to open up in the Texas House this week. After serving as a legislator for 33 years in the Texas House, former House Speaker Pete Laney (D-Hale Center) announced he is stepping down. He said he will continue to be active in government. Other legislators are less interested in leaving politics and more interested in switching chambers. "I want to bridge the difference between the Texas that is and the Texas that can be," said Rep. Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) in confirming rumors that he will challenge Sen. Frank Madla (D-San Antonio) for his seat.
Gov. Rick Perry made several announcements this week. On Thursday, Perry announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has extended the deadline for moving Hurricane Katrina evacuees out of Texas hotels and motels until Jan. 7. "I am pleased that Texas has met the requirement to secure the new Jan. 7 deadline," he said. Still, Perry warned that more time is needed for transitioning Katrina victims into more permanent housing. The governor on Thursday also announced an ambitious plan to partner with the private sector to develop an interstate-quality highway corridor with additional rail freight capacity. "When construction is complete, Texas will benefit from unprecedented trade opportunities, a faster, more reliable transportation system, and thousands of new jobs," Perry said. The corridor will connect the Lower Rio Grande River Valley to I-37 and will continue along the south and east portions of Texas from Corpus Christi through Houston all the way to northeast Texas.
Election filing kicked off this week, which several political contenders used as an opportunity to turn the routine process of filing paperwork into a photo-op. Former Rep. Talmadge Heflin (R-Houston) announced that will seek to reclaim his House seat, which last year he lost to Rep. Hubert Vo (D-Houston) by 38 votes, the final tally after an intensive recount. In news from House District 48, Republican candidate Ben Bentzin is focused on raising money for the Special Election in January to replace the seat vacated mid-term by Rep. Todd Baxter (R-Austin). But Democratic contenders like Andy Brown are concentrating on the Primary Election in March, while Kelly White, who lost to Baxter in the last election cycle, confirmed she would not be running again. Humorist and musician Kinky Friedman made his gubernatorial run official by filing his paperwork to run as in Independent. But he still needs to garner 45,000 signatures between March and May to be on the ballot.
Rep. Juan Escobar (D-Kingsville) on Wednesday sent a letter to business and community leaders in the Rio Grande Valley area urging their attendance at the December 13th Texas Tax Reform Commission (TTRC) meeting in Corpus Christi. The letter, which calls for the needs of the Valley to be heard, coincided with a letter sent to TTRC Chairman John Sharp questioning why a meeting has not been set for his region of Texas. Sharp later said he plans to hold a meeting in the Rio Grande Valley.
Reports released this week include a new study by the National Education Association indicating that Texas was the only state to decrease average spending per student last year. Texas spent an average of $7,142 per student in the 2004-05 school year, which reflects a 1 percent dip from the previous year and is nearly $1,500 below the national average, according to the study. A highly critical report by the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation found Texas to be one of 15 states to receive an "F" grade for its K-12 science curriculum. The problem with Texas' science curriculum is that it does not flesh out content, the researchers state, and the result is that topics such as biology "dissolve into superficiality." Officials at the Texas Education Agency insist the report "is more science-fiction than science" and note that material cited to explain the low grade is not included in the state science standards, TEKS.
Afterthought: Politics and football may seem like strange bedfellows, but lately they appear to be at least sharing a room. Against the backdrop of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection meeting this week to discuss adopting a play-off system to Division I-A football, state Rep. Dan Branch (R-Dallas) on Friday said he plans to investigate the site selection process for University Interscholastic League playoff games.
This weekend in Tyler, the Highland Park Scots and the Marshall Mavericks face off for the 4-A state championship title. The problem is, there is a major shortage of tickets. "In a state that's famous for its 'Friday Night Lights,' has an abundance of large college and professional sports venues and is desperately seeking more revenues for education, it's outrageous that a state final game is being played in a stadium so small that it denies access to thousands of fans, families and friends," quipped Branch, who represents Highland Park. As chair of the House Public Education Subcommittee on Resource Allocation and Budgeting, Branch may fast become every Texas football fan's best friend.