Watson Wire

Sine Dead

May 28, 2019

My reign as President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate for the 86th Legislative Session has come to an end with the Senate adjourning "sine die" (that's fancy talk for "adjourned with no set date to co...

A Big Step in the Right Direction

May 7, 2019

With less than three weeks left in the 86th Legislature, the clock is ticking on an incredibly important school finance bill. After a slow start, the Senate finally approved its version of House Bi...

The “Victim” is the Perpetrator

April 16, 2019

Yesterday, the Texas Senate passed property tax legislation under duress and over objections. The Legislature must take action to address rapidly rising property taxes. No question. But Senate Bill 2...

Please Join Me in a Day of Service

March 18, 2019

April 6, 2019. Mark your calendar and plan to be part of a special day. During the 86th Legislature, I’m honored by my colleagues to serve as the President Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate, which pu...

Quiet Leadership

March 5, 2019

At this point in the legislative session, I usually have to be at three places at once and don’t have a lot of opportunities to slow down and appreciate a moment. So on Monday night I took a moment...

Building Better Brain Health

January 30, 2019

I’ve been talking a lot over the past few years about the opportunity for Austin to become a leader in brain health just as MD Anderson exemplifies cutting-edge cancer care or the way the Cleveland Cl...