Watson Wire

RSS

Back to Work

Texas’ Constitution allows the Governor to call the legislature into session at any time it isn’t meeting regularly.  During these special sessions, he has total control over the agenda.  This year, his main goal seems to get the band on and off the stage as fast as possible.

Read More…

Veto Day

As legislative watchers know, checks and balances go out the window for three weeks after every legislative session.  During this “veto period,” the Governor can reject whatever legislation he wants – no matter how popular it is among those folks elected to legislate – and we don’t have the ability to come back into session and override his veto.  It can be a dispiriting and irritating time ...

Read More…

Extra Innings

I feel like there’s still a lot of unfinished business and missed opportunities that Texans would like to see taken care of.  And if we’re potentially going to get another shot at all of this, I think we should take it.

Read More…

Freedom’s Just Another Word for ... Sine Die

Beneath all the conflict and chaos, we passed bills that will help a lot of people.  Personally, I’m going to remember this as a very successful session.

Read More…

To the Lifeboats

With the House looking more and more tied up – and with a massive deadline (emphasis on “dead”) coming up to pass any new bills at all – the Senate is pouring time and energy into amendments for bills that have already been through the House.

Read More…

Sunny Persistence

When you combine a very pretty girl with the romantic madness of a 14-year-old, you wind up with a formative experience.  And the fact that Liz did, eventually, agree to date me remains a helpful lesson in patience and persistence.  Lord knows it paid off last week, when the Senate passed my RPS bill.

Read More…

Crazy Time

Amid the flood of legislation passing through the Legislature, we’re all still trying to pass our bills, shape the larger policy initiatives so that they’re better for the state, and watch out for the bad bills and amendments that would do more harm than good to everyday Texans.  It’s a uniquely crazy time.

Read More…

The Way It’s S’posed To Be

29 days left.  Everything's at full speed. But let's take a few minutes to talk about non-partisanship.  Let's praise people who can put experience and ambition aside to embrace the other side. Raise your glasses to those who, even against their better judgment, show some love for the Baylor Bears.

Read More…

Seceding in Governing Without Really Trying

Recently, I asked a smart young woman to help me figure something out. The problem involved lots of numbers and moving parts. She quickly created some documents and a nifty spread sheet that, she claimed, explained the issue.

Read More…

Nothing

Nada.

Read More…

Page 1 of 13 pages 1 2 3 >  Last »