Now that the smoke has cleared and we are all reviewing (or trying to forget) just exactly what we did on the night of Sine Die, info that was overlooked last week in the mad rush is starting to emerge. Get this:

We heard that when constituents and supporters of Rep. Martha Wong called to ask her why she stripped her management district bill (HB 1830) of an amendment by Senate sponsor Rodney Ellis, that a lot of them wanted to see enacted, she told them it was not germane to her bill and had to be removed. The amendment created an International Management District in Houston and is widely supported by the Asian community.

Uhhhh, Martha, history on this bill indicates no point of order. So, do you think your callers are too stupid to figure out that if you wanted the amendment on, it was likely to stay. Or do you not understand the process, yet?

There is one other possibility, someone more influential to Martha than the folks who sent her to Austin and the folks who have helped bankroll her campaigns, told her to get rid of it. As we have noted before, Martha votes more like the Representative from Midland than the Representative of the urban district 134.

We're soooooo surprised.

As I was chatting with my soon-to-be-officially-jobless pal EnLaCasaTejas, I thought to recommend Idealist.org. It lists current non-profit job listings. If that's your bag, baby, here are the current Texas job listings.

Because Pinkdome cares.

So, yeah we attended the parties to celebrate the end of the Session. If you are one of the folks I either kissed or felt up, my apologies. And, when I told Mark Strama "I don't give a shit about you people." What I really meant was I'm not personally invested in politics like some.

Needless to say, I won't be at Perry's press conference or Dewhurst's luncheon today as I am still throwing up. You know, it sad when you post from the cool comfort of the bathroom floor.

And to add my own missed connection: If you were the cute staffer in the striped shirt, email me.

She posts, slightly hungover from the festivities last night. We had so much fun last night and got to meet so many pretty (and not-so-pretty) people. We went to a media party that the Guvner, Dewhurst and Craddick also attended. I think Perry told PD where the beer was - as if we didn't already know! We met some wonderful people and then headed to the Austin Club, which I totally crashed. Thanks to Kimberly and PD for their fine diversion tactics. We met some more very cute people and then I left. My taxi driver advised me not to take a breathalizer if I was pulled over, but hello! I was not that drunk.

PD can say more when he finally gets up.

Added notes: I was so happy to meet the great Rep. Pena. I also finally met my Lege-crush Rep. Strama, and although I still think he's cute, I'm a little over him now. And "Jake", you totally rock.

That's why the final gavel isn't down yet. We're bored. So, we're totally leaving now. Look for us and get your 'I Am PinkDome' sticker and hope that they never recognize Will Hartnett for the judicial pay raise crap thing.

Smell ya later!

First, we're heading over to 1005 Congress for the DMN/FWS-T Media Party, then to the Austin Club, and then to the Continental Club. We'll drunk post about it later. Oh and there was some judicial showdown thing. We'll talk about that later, right now we need a drink. Cheers!

That's what the buttons say the Members are wearing today. Here's what I Felt:

Several staffers bottoms in an inappropriate manner
A barrage of shockingly awful legislation
An ineffective legislative session
A massive hangover on several mornings I posted entries

What did you feel this session?

So, I've wandered around and seen the theme parties. I saw the lobby duck, chatted up Carter Casteel's staff (they totally rock) and bumped into our favorite DMN reporter. If you've got a ticket for the Continental Club, why haven't you given her one yet? Cause the party will so suck if she isn't there. And, no..I did not have any jello shots.

And remarkably, they don't all start with, "You fucking stupid idiots" cause that's probably what my press release would say. Well, either that or "My glass is empty, bartender" but I digress.

Soecthing says three things. Blah Blah and then the third:

"The third lesson of this failed session is that if Texans want change, they're going to have to vote for it," Soechting said.

So, let me help the TDP out with what they can't say:

Someone sent us the hilarious Seperated at birth Board Game. There are two pages, View image and here, View image. These are great to print and see how many you can identify!

Leave your comments on things you want to talk about today, hot messengers included, invitations to parties, and what you think PinkDome ought to start covering after Sine Die? Tom DeLay? KBH? Just mercilessly attacking the Republicans for abandoning 'rugged individualism' and becoming the party of Pat Robertson? Mercilessly attacking the Dems and telling them to shut up and read a talking point and vote? So much! We'll be hear tomorrow, too, is what we're trying to say. (Oh, and a ticket to the Continental Club Party would be nice, too)

We come to a close. The day we've counted down together since our first post on January 31. Well 488 posts later, over 1200 comments later, and 226,995 visitors--we've pissed you off, hopefully made you laugh, and on the rare occassion motivated you to learn more about what goes on in the pink dome.

Most frequently asked question? Who am I? Hands down. View image I'm still accepting invitations for me and Bluebonnet to the Sine Die parties and we'll be stopping in on a few of them.

If you're a nerd and want to see some other fun statistics about PinkDome we've put some in after the jump. We'll be around after the Session continuing to follow Texas politics so keep coming back. xo, PD and Bluebonnet and a special shout out to our guest, PDBlogger.

Since we're all bored watching this debate, we thought we'd just start an 'open thread' here. That means, leave a comment and see if it sparks a discussion amongst yourselves. So, let's entertain ourselves...whatever you wanna talk about.

Sen. Steve Ogden (courtesy AAS)

No, not every post the next couple of days will be about begging for mercy for this legislative session to be over...but, a good portion of them will. We are, quite frankly, ready to get rid of those folks up there in the dome. Even if y'all only get a couple of weeks break before you have to come back in a Special Session, please...we beg you...get the fuck out of town.

Karen Brooks has a breakdown on the breakdown this Session. Petty fighting, backstabbing, and such. Here's the real breaking news in her column though:

Pampa GOP Rep. Warren Chisum's computer on the House floor features a clock, counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds until the session ends.

After the jump you can read the most assinine arguement between democrats ever. It's in reference to a 'town hall' meeting Lamar Smith had and through a Yahoo! info group, we received a copy. There is actually a discussion on Robert's Rules Of Order. The whining democrats that send out these email arguements are the reason the Democrats deserve to lose elections. On one hand you have the right-wing retards, and on the other you have liberal whiners that make you want to beat the shit out of them.

Here's a tip Dems. Shut the fuck up and vote. Keep your pontifications to yourself. Read a talking point, stick to it and repeat it. Then...Shut the fuck up. I know that's hard to do because whining about something is so much more fun, but Jesus...give us all a break.

(Edited to Add) I don't think all Democrats are morons. The ones that actually show up, volunteer and raise money make me proud. In defense of one of the parties in this exchange, I think they were most likely trying to shut someone up.

As HB2 and HB 3 have been languishing, Governor Perry finally has something to say:

"I would like to be able to finish this session with some substantial success, not just go home and say we passed a budget," Perry said. "The school issue is not addressed, the property tax issue's not addressed. The revenue cap's not addressed. I mean, there's a lot of good legislation that's sitting in the Senate at the moment and we just need some answers."

PD will be back by sine die to fully expound on the end of the session. I myself will not be posting over the holiday weekend. Everybody travel safely if you're not stuck at the Capitol. But go ahead and caption this pic before you go anywhere:

"Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen speaks to the Texas House on Thursday." - from DMN

PinkDome here. We are closing in on the time when we can get a little more sleep, drink a little more, curse our bosses as we drive out of the parking deck, stop wearing ties and pantyhose...ah...the end of the Session is near. You can almost smell it, can't you?

I thought we'd take a unscientific look back and ask you to help us add to the list as we prepare to take a couple of days off after session and then turn our burning wit onto other issues with Texas politics.

Best Moments This Year (Let's start on a high note)
Hubert Vo's Challenge not being a slam dunk for the Republicans gave us hope. (It was quickly dashed)
Senfronia Thompson: Just about every time she spoke, it reminded us what it feels like to stand up for what's right, to be passionate, and to have the fire in the belly for Texans and their rights. (If y'all are in the capitol, you really ought to go by her office and shake her hand.)
Carter Casteel calling out Hupp for the mean and ill-informed member that she is. Carter's stock keeps going up.
Senator Ellis and Hinojosa for trying to be brave Democrats.
The witnesses: on the awful legislation to erode civil rights this session, some of the bravest and most eloquent Texans stood up for what they believe. That's politics that we can be proud of.
Mary Denny. Without her some days we would have had nothing to write about.

And, The Worst. . . a much longer list, so add your own.
Tom Craddick. A terrible speaker, using arm-twisting and political idealogy and power above any efforts to improve the numerous bills he voted on this session.
Chisum-Talton-Hupp-Staples. This group of Republicans and their amazing stupidity that gets more impressive as the day goes by gets our award for 'Elected Official Most Likely To Make Us Join A Fringe Group'
Phil King. Moron. It's the nicest thing we could say.
The cheaters, philanderers, paid off shills for industry, etc.
The Legislation. OMG, THE LEGISLATION! (Sorry, I ran screaming out of the room for a minute.)

So, add your own in the comments. Let's get excited about sine die and a small break before PinkDome hits the ground running going after all those folks we ignored so far, he says...looking over his shoulder at Washington.

update: Comments are now closed.

Y'all know I just couldn't leave this alone, what with my outspoken crush on Rep. Strama (yes, I know some of you think Rep. Rose is cuter). We just read on Rep. Pena's blog that Rep. Mark Strama will be leading a workshop on how blogs affect the work of a legislator. Honestly we hadn't really planned on going to Democracy Fest, but this might just change our mind.

Okay, back to the more important issues.

A certain someone has asked us to post again on Rep. Denny's ID voting bill. It has already been voted on in the House and is in the Senate State Affairs committee. Will it get to the Senate floor in time? Let's hope not. This bill is bad news. Any restriction on voting rights is a move from democracy. Your voters registration card should be enough to identify you. As someone who has worked at a polling place before, I can tell you that a great number of people present their license instead of their registration card anyway. This is just ridiculous.

On a somewhat related note, we are just amazed that things are moving so smoothly in the House this afternoon. Everyone sounds like they are on speed. Loverly.

update: I see that Rep. Denny's amendments to SB00089 regarding electronic readers and double forms of ID at the polls have been adopted. Urgh.

I'm in on a conference call with the lawyers for the Democratic plaintiffs suing TRMPAC. State district judge Joe Hart ruled today that TRMPAC owes the 5 plaintiffs $196,666.

Harvey Kronberg is leading the discussion, and *Wayne Slater* is in on the call, too. I'm star struck in my own dorky news-person way.

The rumor was correct - the judge ruled against TRMPAC this morning:

State District Judge Joe Hart ruled Thursday that Texans for a Republican Majority violated state campaign law when it failed to disclose more than a half-million dollars in corporate contributions during the 2002 state legislative elections.

update: Okay, no rally today. Here's what I got: "Sorry about this, but no rally. Repeat, the only thing you'll get for going to the courthouse today is sunstrike and a parking ticket." I think they meant sunstroke. Ah well.

The Quorum Report has posted the ruling on their site.

Raw Story has an interview with Chris Bell on the verdict.

This article from the DMN (bugmenot) suggests that the Legislature has passed a lot of little bills that affect us wee everyday folk. On their list is our favorite spanking bill and HB168, which lets alcohol be sold at festivals between 10am and noon. Hey, any way that we can get drunk earlier and quicker, we absolutely condone.

I just read a rumor that a ruling will be made on TRMPAC today. Is this for reals? I can't find any more about it. Maybe I dreamed it.

The FEC is considering changing rules governing campaign contributions from sources like the Internet. The rules would make linking to campaign Web site a monetary contribution to said campaign. Making it a contribution puts blogging under tight regulation.

PDBlogger thinks this is an infringement of free speech and I have told the FEC so. They are still asking for comments on the proposed rules and you can do so by simply sending them an email. Well, actually, the email has to contain many personal items such as home address and telephone number and a copy of your birth certificate and a DNA sample.

PDBlogger is a sollitary creature relying on anonymity to protect me from harm when I call Rep. Talton a gay-bashing fuckhead. I even post from an undisclosed location (the janitor's closet next to the women's room on the first level). Luckily I can take advantage of Mike Krempasky, the spearhead of The Online Coalition, who will generously use his name and address while submitting my comments for me. So I can stay safe, call Rep. Phil King a king-sized douchebag and remain obscure.

If you wish to do the same, email him at mkrempasky@redstate.org with your comment, blog url and blog title by the close of business Friday.

Got this e-mail this afternoon, and since I don't have much else to post at his time, here you go. Enjoy!

"The office I work in has been working on the issue of "fashion" all session. We were a little taken back to know that someone else was carefully observing the wardrobes of our favorite legislators as well. But the considerate office that we are, we thought we would share our awards with everyone else on this blog.

We can't believe there won't be a special session, as the education bill has yet to be finally decided on. We ask you now, do you think there will be a special session? If so, when? And where do you wish you could be instead?

It's not really a "quien es mas macho?" moment, although it may seem it. City governments are having some of their authority removed by this Legislature and aren't too happy about it:

"We are under major assault right now," said Brandon Aghamalian, Fort Worth's director of governmental relations. "There's some bad stuff passing."

Conventional wisdom is now saying the centrist hold on the Senate will be short-lived. But not before they work out a compromise on Social Security.

This is one of those moments that Democrats manage to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Not to wander too off topic here, but there is something I could never quite get my head around. If all the intelligentsia are liberals, if all the reporters who follow politics are liberals, what does that make conservatives? I mean, if being smart and informed makes you a liberal, doesn't that mean people who often use these as slurs while arguing for conservative causes are basically saying that they are stupid and ignorant?

What kind of platform is that? And how does PDBlogger get in on that racket? Tell millions of people they are stupid and then have them do what I want. I could be rich.

In the Houston Chronicle we read that Medicaid has been covering Viagra for registered sex-offenders. Almost 200 sex-offenders have had their Viagra or other "sex-enhancing" drugs covered here in Texas. From the article:

"Giving Viagra to a convicted sex offender is akin to handing a can of gasoline to an arsonist and providing the match to start the fire," Abbott said.

update: As noted in the comments, Rep. Hopson passed a "Viagra" amendment yesterday. Good deal.

Scott at Grits alerted us about the debate to come today on HB2193 in the Senate. It seems that Williamson County DA John Bradley is in strong opposition to the bill. He's been chatting with Perry about his problems with the bill, even though he seems to be the only DA in the state vocally opposed. Very interesting . . .

We had to link to Rep. Pena's liveblog last night of SB422. And may the Force be with you as you read it!

Yeah, that was lame. I haven't seen the new Star Wars movie yet, since the second one was so awful.

Here's a tasty sample from Pena:

THIS DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR THE DARK SIDE AND ITS DARK KNIGHT!

OR AS YODA WOULD SAY: "Not much confidence - one does not have - in this one!"

Well, I can't stay gone. The clinic spa can't hold my interest all the time. So, I looked through the emails you sent about the SB 422 debate tonight. Here's the short version. We all love Carter Casteel and Senfronia Thompson. We are sort of depressed that Hupp didn't get block knocked off by Carter, and we're pretty sure that as the session winds down, some folks are just getting wound up.

While tonight's debate was surely exciting and at many times heated, several key moments made the late night worth every penny:

1. For the record, Carter Casteel rocks. She, unlike most of her fellow party members, stood up for what was right tonight. While her amendment to strip out the voucher language in SB 422 went down on a tie vote, she did an amazing job. Oh, and it only went down in a tie because the Speaker voted. The previous Speaker voted less than a handful of times in his ten year reign. This Speaker voted at least 5 times tonight. Food for thoughtâ?¦

2. I didn't know Senfronia could move that fast! As Mr. Grusendork tried to postpone SB 422, 'Fronia sprung from stage left to nearly rip the microphone away to call a point of order. Notice to members: 'Fronia is a lot faster than she looks and if you're not careful she's liable to bitch slap you.

More Color Commentary after the jump

The House voted 72-71, with Craddick casting the tie-breaking vote, to keep the voucher amendment in the TEA Sunset Bill intact.

According to Quorum Report, SB 422 still has 80 amendments to go through and has survived at least one point of order while another was being offered by Rep. Jim "Cupcakes" Dunnam.

What could have been a Chernobyl is now merely a Three Mile Island. Centrists from both parties hammered out a deal, paving the way for filibuster-free votes on Priscilla Owen, Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor but protecting the filibuster for later use by Democrats in "extraordinary circumstances."

How surprised are we that the Legislature is diverting money away from low-income Texans? Honestly, not very. A legislative committee voted to empty a fund that provides discounts for poor Texans on their electricity:

The net impact: About 120,000 low-income TXU customers can expect to pay 10 percent more for electricity each month. That's on top of TXU's 9.9 percent rate hike approved May 11 by the Texas Public Utility Commission.

The move by legislative budget writers has drawn fire from consumer advocates and some Democratic lawmakers, who say it breaks a promise of lower rates made under the state's 1999 electric deregulation law.

It also adds to the generally shabby treatment of low-income Texans by the 79th Texas Legislature, said state Rep. Sylvester Turner. He noted that poor Texans also will end up paying more under current plans to overhaul the tax system.

"It's these low-income (people) are the ones taking the hit," said Turner, D-Houston.

Alternate title: That's what bottled water is for! or Isn't TCEQ stretched enough as it is?

SB1858 has been put on the general state calendar for tomorrow. Here's what we just got from GEAA:

Of course, I'm being so fucking saracastic when I say that it should cause blunt force trauma to your head. The Senate, on the other hand, wasn't when they passed HJR 6 saturday.

I would like to thank Sens. Madla, Lucio and Staples for bending over and being the bitches for religious extremists. Without you this would not have been possible and the institution of marriage would not be safe for all us normal heterosexuals. Oops, there's that uber-sarcasm again.

In honor of Star Wars Weekend, I will end by quoting Senator Amidala in Revenge of the Sith: "So that's how liberty is lost; to thunderous applause."

Pink Dome is away on for this final week of the Legislative Session (something about a trip to the Yucatan, I don't know). What I do know is that wherever Pink Dome is, that's where the party is. And we are thinking of the one dubbed 'sexy beast'.

Meanwhile, you get me and Bluebonnet. I should tell you my blogger name was almost Pink Taffeta. I don't know if that gives you a clue to my secret identity, but it is a fun fact and there will be a quiz later.

Also, per Pink Dome's dictum, I cannot use pinkdome.com to get laid. *Sigh* And all those Capitol staffers I could spend those hot summer nights with. So this strictly business people.

With all that said, Pink Dome's reign of terror is over. Now begins my reign of terror! Muahahahahaha

I know PD is disappointed at not being able to post these, but as PD's out of pocket, the task was passed on to me. So here you go. . .

Worst Dressed Female: Rep. Suzanna Hupp, hands down. She was also nominated for "The Softer Side of Sears" and "Stuck in the 1980's".

The telecom bill passed (with preliminary approval) this evening, we are told by KEYE after watching our Sunday night TV. Oh boyeeee.

Update: We must have been spaced out on Skittles last night. It wasn't the telecom bill, but the cable v. SBC bill that was approved. Does this mean no more stupid "SBC/Cable is evil" ads?

From a tipster:

Well in the running for Most Bills Killed by Points of Order, Phil King has six bills on the Major State Calendar today, including attempts to revive his telecom bills. After the demise of the PUC sunset bill, King took a public swipe at the House Parliamentarian (and by extension the Speaker himself) complaining to the Quorum Report about the ruling. That move may force us to come up with a special award: Most Self-Destructive Use of the Press.

Seeing how King handles himself should be highly entertaining. Has he learned to write a Bill Analysis? Check his staff's work? Reign in his apparently uncontrollable urge to overreach?

For some added fun, the stripped-down senate version of parental consent, SB1150, is on the docket. Its Senate sponsor, Chris Harris, has pledged to kill the bill if it gets a single amendment. Rumor has it that the crazed antis are so unhappy with the bill that they are secretly trying to kill it. So King has to not only control his own unnatural urges but those of the crazed antis as well. Otherwise, Governor Perry won't have his abortion vote to hang around Kay Bailey Hutchinson's neck come the primary . . .

Catherine Crier's piece on HuffingtonPost offers a great overview of the fight in Washington over the filibuster fight. You should lift your head up a little from the hypnotic Texas political scene to give it a once-over.

The real fight is not over the lower courts in the federal system, but instead, the ultimate prize--the highest court in the land. There is no question that President Bush will have the opportunity to appoint several justices to that Court during his second term. He has made his ideological preferences clear. Conservative justices arenâ??t enough. He wants jurists of a particular persuasion. They must satisfy the requirements of fundamentalist Christians, with a willingness to roll back the clock to a time where children prayed to Jesus in public school, gays were back in the closet and women were forced into back alleys.

Damn, that's heavy man.

Out-of-control Republicans are not only creating the largest tax increase in Texas history, but also making sure they get plenty of pork in the budget as well this session. Literally.

The measure to fund a program to cut down on the number of feral hogs in Texas got a whopping $500,000. I think most of the feral hogs in Texas are the Republican legislators that have wasted this session on the biggest bunch of slop we've seen in years.

"People elect these feral hogs to the legislature and dang it if they don't shit all over Texans." Sen. Duncan said...just as he took a dump outside the Senate chamber.

Update: Senate passes HJR 6 (color me shocked!) 21-8. Madla and Lucio are the ones I know flipped, but who else that was on that letter of 11 that Hinojosa said he had? We'll need their names so we can decide who we are running against them in the next Democratic Primary.

So, it begs the question: Is the Senate full of the same that the House is? Are the Democrats smart enough to know this is a just a ploy to get the ultra conservatives to the ballot? Are the Republicans able to see any way past the two feet in front of them that this is short-sighted policy that is a bad direction for Texas?

Stay tuned. The eyes of Texas are upon you. If you feel like getting your call on, click here and just go down the list.

Does Saddam where boxers or briefs?

We've all wondered it since seeing him bang Satan up the ass in South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. Well wonder no more because pictures of him in his underwear were published in the The Sun, Britain's top tabloid. Thanks to an anonymous leaker, whom the Pentagon is very angry with, we know that Saddam is a tighty whities man.

We now also know what was up his ass when he decided to gas all those Kurds: his underwear.

Our wonderful tips line informs us that HB 1167 (Talton's housing bill) and HB 3179 (King's telecom bill) have been snuck into other legislation.

Much like Lazarus rising from the dead, these two may be in SB 1341 ('from our new favorite senator Frank Madla' he says with great snark) and SB 408 to be debated Sunday. They just don't know when to quit.

That's right, Madla flipped. And, not in a good way. Senator Madla was on the list of 11 Senators to oppose HJR 6 and he's since changed his mind. Something cowards do a lot, or so we hear.

Without him, HJR 6 will come to the floor as early as Saturday and surely wind up on the November ballot. You know what it does? It brings all the ULTRA conservatives to the voting booth. It ensures Republican victories up and down the board.

Way to go you super dumbass cocksucker.

He says it was due to phone calls he's getting from his district. You lazy asses that think this is ridiculous better get to dialing quickly. Be sure to give Madla's office a ring and go, "ROWR, you weakling. Can't wait to vote for your opponent in the next primary."

If you think you've got the chops to help us cover the last week of the Session, email us and let us know. You, too, can be an anonymous blogger and skewer Texas politics.

My sibling just told me they heard a horrible ad on BOB103.5 (site has audio) paid for by the Texas Republicans. They were so disappointed to hear such a bigoted ad on their favorite radio station. I had to remind them that BOB is owned by Sinclair, and the station is in fact named for Bob Sinclair. I haven't heard the ad, but from what I was told, it tells listeners to call the the folks in the dome and complain about the ruination of marriage by those crazy liberal Dems. It mentions how the Democrats are blocking the nomination of good Texas judge Owen in the national scene. Those zany Democrats!! What will they do next?! Take over the world!!!

Dewhurst and Craddkick are facing off on the notorious tax bill. The DMN has the best article to date on this subject. Not because it explains the bill, or even gives a policy analysis, or a blow-by-blow of the positions of Craddick or Dewhurst. What does it give? Brilliant quotes we loved. "It was better than Cats, I'd read it again and again."

On Speaker Craddick's Negotiating Style and Outfoxing Dewhurst:
"In order to negotiate with someone, you assume they care about the hostages," he said. "When you're dealing with someone who doesn't care about the hostages, it's a whole different set of rules." State Rep. Pete Gallego telling us about Crazy Craddick. (Chew on this for a while and tell me: Good for Texas/Bad for Texas if this is your negotiating style?)

On Texas Redicstricing:
...the lieutenant governor likened the redistricting tug-of-war to "Iranian cab-driver negotiations"

On Differences Between the House and Senate:
"The House is much more of a rough-and-tumble place. We are ready to have sweaty arm-wrestling over bills," said Rep. Joe Nixon, R-Houston.
and,
Perhaps the difference is that the Senate has been bringing a tennis racket to a tractor-pull. Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock, said

Nice work Christy.

(Photo courtesy: ERICH SCHLEGEL/DMN)

Your nominations are still coming in. If you haven't already emailed me with your choice for Best and Worst Dressed, Most likely to be into S&M, or Worst use of Polyester email me today with the subject: Fashion.

Remember, photos are awesome and will be hilarious. Thanks for those you've already sent. So, who will it be? Suzanna Hupp and her obvious passion for the 80's? Will Fred Brown's use of Pink get him the Most Likely to be an Aerobics Instructor?

The thing about delaying HJR 6 is that it's given the one-man one-woman missionary position only please, thank you folks time to show up. Y'all the few of them that are here look SO scared to be surrounded by so many homos. The back of the Senate chamber is full of folks ready to testify, the chamber is slowly filling up and two charming old ladies outside asked right away if I was a blogger when I pulled out the cameraphone. What gave me away I wonder? View image

I'm sitting next to In The Pink, and guess what? She's actually in pink. Funny. Once HJR 6 comes up I'll post more photos and some liveblog action. In the Pink and I will race to see who makes the post first.

I'm in the Senate gallery, waiting for HJR 6 and the committee to start. On the way up, I noticed there are quite a few folks here waiting to testify, also making their presence known were the gaggle of DPS officers. I don't know what trouble they are expecting.

Will all the trouble even be necessary? Senator Hinojosa just sent us his release explaining his intent to block HJR 6 from a vote if it gets to the floor. Finally, a voice of reason.

Once the testimony starts, we'll be around to update you on any interesting tidbits. that is, until we get bored or need a drink more than we need to liveblog.

Full Hinojosa release after the jump.

There is a sudden opening in Senator Nelson's Health and Human Services committee for a staff position. Yipes. (So late in the session, too)

Two fat rednecks are getting flipped off on I-35 for holding up a banner that says, "Say No To Gay Marriage." (Uh, dufuses the decision-makers aren't on 35, they are in the Capitol. You're out there sweating in the heat for nothing.)

Senate Research Committee Staffers are starving and no lobbyists are bringing them anything. (They aren't supposed to accept any, unlike you other lucky dogs.)

And to those Ray Allen rumors he knocked somebody up. Sources say, not true...Ray's fish don't swim no more.

If you work in the House, that is. Working Sunday at 2? Gross. I'll barely be awake and over my hangover by then. We'll try to post a special Sunday sermon for ya poor souls.

Code Pink wandered around the House and caused quite a disturbance the other day. A tipster sent us some photos. The group of women were handing out pink slips to five Representatives for their oppressive legislation and stance on women's issues. Apparently, a Talton staffer asked them to strip for him. So, it's nice to see they were taken seriously.

Here they are off to the gallery. A Photo and a question about the staffer in the photo after the jump.

Here I am reading Keith Olbermann's blog (a good daily read) and currently he is posting on the Newsweek fracas. His entry from last night states that:

Congressman Randy Neugebauer of Texas today introduced a non-binding resolution condemning the magazine for quote "irresponsible and inaccurate" journalism â?? a phrase used seven times in the six-paragraph resolution. As a non-binding resolution (but a binding press release), its actual content by weight is something like 37 percent â??Whereases.â?? The primary one reads: "Whereas the prevalent media culture encourages journalists to 'get the story first' rather than to ensure that reports are accurate and factual..."

Phil King's telecom bill went up in smoke this week. Some folks claim that Phil is bought and paid fer by the SBC lobby. This got us to thinking....

If you had paid a whore for a service and the whore couldn't really meet expectations, would you leave a little something extra on the nightstand? Would you refer the whore to friends? Would you visit the whore again?

Someone get the SBC lobbyists to answer that one for us.

Oh, Mary Denny's office must be so glad we are onto Phil King this week and leaving her alone. Don't worry Mary...we'll be back!

NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, a state affiliate of NARAL Pro-Choice America, is seeking a dynamic leader to head the organizationâ??s efforts to promote reproductive freedom across the state.

See full job description after the jump.

If you have a job to post on PinkDome send us an email and we'll post it in our "Job Listings" category. Reach over 1,000 readers from state.tx.us every day!

Tomorrow, Thursday at 5 p.m. for the Senate Affairs Committee Hearing on HJR 6. Ellis was successful in his delay of the hearing until tomorrow night. The LGRL lobby asks that you show up to testify against HJR 6, if you cannot testify you can always sign a witness affirmation form. Find out more at the LGRL Action Alert.

Also, look for me to liveblog a little of the fracas. See you there.

Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting pokes the sleeping bear today in a press release welcoming us the new political era of the Tax and Spend Republican. Referring, of course, to the taxes of historic proportions passed by a Republican controlled legislature.

Here's my favorite quote:
"In the House, Tom Craddick looked out over a roomful of nearly 150 members and selected the five who look most like him," Soechting said.

HAHA, you look like Tom Craddick! Ok, so none of the conferees are beauty queens (Kent Grusendorf, Dianne Delisi, Bill Keffer, Dan Branch, and Rob Eissler) except maybe Dan Branch, he could be a beauty queen maybe. But, wow...what a vicious taunt by Soechting.

(Full release after the jump)

Just a little tampering with the headlines on Statesman.com in the morning.

House Bill 2833 would force cities to compensate property owners when regulations strip away land value. With time growing very short this legislative session, cities around the state are urging their senators to strangle the proposal.

D'er the lobbyists that have been nagging you all session, that's who. The DMN's story about lobbyists buying dinners for legislators is reminiscent of the story we see every season on this subject. Yeah, it can look a little improper but hell y'all don't earn crap, taxpayers ain't givin' you a raise or a party, and nobody wants to celebrate the clusterfuck that was this session. So, let 'em buy you a drink. Hell, force 'em to for all we care. We're sure it doesn't have any influence.

Phil King doesn't think it's a big deal. "If somebody thinks they can buy my vote with dinner, they've got a pretty low expectation," Mr. King Said. "My vote usually requires at least two dinners and a handjob."

We're a wee bit hungover this morning, so in the meantime have fun with Phil King. (No, remarkably we've never uttered that sentence before.)

Ok, it's time for us to judge on the really important matters of the session. Who are the best and worst dressed elected officials this session. We know they don't all have the fashion stylings of a Martha Wong or the uptight yet screaming for acceptance of Rep. Bohac, but there are some cool customers and some fashion disasters. Send us your nominations and we'll post great photoshopped photos of the winners next Monday. You can email your noms to us at Tips@pinkdome.com with the subject: Fashion.

Mike, is that you posting on craigslist?

There are so many beautiful women at the Capitol - m4w
Reply to: anon-72398187@craigslist.org
Date: 2005-05-09, 10:08AM CDT

I see so many amazing women at the Capitol everyday... Too bad I never have a chance to talk to any of you.

* this is in or around Austin
* no -- it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Some of you ladies, talk to this poor shy fella. Jeez, we thought there was supposed to rampant sex and booze flowing this close to the end of the session. We're so disappointed.

The Statesman tells us that Rep. King's durn telecom bill is going to be brought up in the Senate Business and Commerce Committee today. We'll keep you posted. . .

Rep. Pena's A Capitol Blog liveblogged the shameful debate on the Texas Medical Examiner's Bill yesterday.

4:25 p.m. Members distracted by a group in the gallery. Somebody with pink hair and others wearing pink startles some members.

PinkDome had nothing to do with that, sounds like something that In The Pink may have stirred up, though.

And just a note here: Rep. Thompson, we agree with your Point of Order as to the germaneness of abortions being tacked onto a bill about the Texas Medical Examiners. But, then again we have to ask what in the hell is the germaneness of this entire legislative session?

So far, most of y'all get a big fat F on policy and unfortunately, an A on laughingstock.

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee urged Gov. Perry to 'disinvite' the minutemen from coming to Texas. So that means they should be here any time now.

A senate staffer sent us this idea. We like it. The minutemen are going to come to Texas in, apparently, October. Our bright ideas (gleaned through prodigious intake of alcohol) was to get two groups of protesters.

Group one: young women with signs saying: Texas women don't like
Minute Men.
Group two: Native Americans with signs saying: Where were you 500
years ago?

The Texas Association of Homes and Services for the Aging has selected Rep. Debbie Riddle as their "Legislator of the Year" recipient. The selection most certainly was made by a group of Alzheimer's patients cause this is lacking in lucidity. (Did I just make up that word?) Oh well, it can't be as crazy as this is!

Press Release after the jump.

Senator Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) today released the following statement regarding his decision to "tag" HJR 6, a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriages in Texas:

"Issues like this stir the deepest passions in people and, unfortunately, there are some on the extreme fringes like the Aryan Brotherhood who feel emboldened and would rather bully than engage in the process. While everyone who favors HJR 6 is not a bigot, there clearly are those supporters who are and they are vocal. To them, I say this: I will not be bullied, threatened or intimidated, so stop trying."

The Aryan Brotherhood made a threat to Senator Ellis and it is currently under investigation by the DPS. Yes folks, when we told you it was about hate we were right. If you're still standing with HJR 6 you are standing shoulder to shoulder with the Aryan Nation. Good for you. At least they come right out and let us know they are full of hate and they don't hide behind the bible.

Bill Zedler is wearing some sort of device today...is it a direct radio transmission from Pat Robertson or something? Is that why he keeps speaking? PD wants to know!

Speaking of crunch time, and the sneaky shit that gets tacked onto bills at the end of the Session...Will Hartnett gets our first Sneaky Legislator Award.

SB419,

relating to the continuation and functions of the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners, Texas State Board of Physician Assistant Examiners, and Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners and the regulation of health care professions regulated by those state agencies; providing administrative penalties.

What does this amendment do? See after the jump.
Before you do, why did Mark Strama Patrick Rose have to be the one to ask every woman in the Chamber to pay attention? Why are they not lined up at the back mic right now against this amendment that would prevent them from having a choice to abort a child EVEN in the event of physical impairment or threat to the mother. Hold on, my eyes just rolled out their sockets.

As someone who has donated some time and a little money to Habitat for Humanity, I'm not a fan of Sen. Madla's bill, SB1341. Here's the low-down from my Habitat e-mail:

FW Startlegram reports that air quality is just not a priority for the Legislature:

As the legislative session winds down this month, no significant piece of clean-air legislation has passed, though the state faces severe air-pollution problems, including ground-level ozone.

What's more, the Legislature has proposed significantly cutting a program that has helped remove some of the dirtiest off-road construction equipment, and it wanted to cut another program that has helped reduce emissions by some of the worst-polluting cars and trucks.

Rep. Joe Deshotel has a new blog! Go visit and welcome another legislator to the world of unfiltered access to constituents.

We know it's the end of the Session, but running down aides won't get us out of here any earlier.

Perhaps offer the most posh ambassidorship, ever. That's how. Rumor is President Bush may offer Kay the coveted U.S. Ambassador to the Court of St. James. Complete with 12 1/2 acre estate gifted to the U.S. by heiress Barbara Hutton. Sweet. We, for one, would totally say fuck off Austin for that gig. Speaking of, exactly who do we have to fuck to get a gig like that?

The Senate adjourned Friday, in honor of Diana Sue Browns' mother who will be buried on Monday. Everyone at the Capitol knows Diana Sue and we hope they help her through this loss.

The Senate is so jealous of the House getting all the attention they can't stand it! With the House being mocked twice on The Daily Show, and around the globe with the CPS amendment to ban gay foster parents, the anti-gay marriage amendment and the sexy cheerleaders, the Senate finally decides to take action.

But, not without trying to be subtle in the Senate way. They've decided to take up HJR 6 (you remember, the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage) Monday morning at 8:30 a.m.

Well, on your way to work tomorrow stop by and grab a cup of coffee and run down to the Senate to watch the seasoned mature disappointingly-just-as-stupid-as-the-House members take up hate and place it on the agenda.

The LGRL says you can stop by and fill out a witness affirmation form, or stay to testify if you can. Guess we'll have to set the alarm and wander down to the circus tomorrow.

Damn you, Senate. And, Damn you, Todd Staples.

BB updates: PD just called to let me know that as of 9am, HJR6 has been postponed (not following the calendar) and will be on the calendar now for Thursday.

If Jesus came back, what would He think? Would He be a Republican or a Democrat? Click here for the answer--and the t-shirt.

The 'nuclear option' is becoming a reality in the effort to change the rules of the U.S. Senate regarding filibusters. The Christian Terrorists are using the confirmation of radical right-wing judges as a rallying cry in Washington. They have mobilized groups in national email, letter-writing, and phone-call campaigns. Pat Robertson (Chief Christian Terrorist) said, [activist judges are] "probably more serious than a few bearded terrorists who fly into buildings."

Rational minded people across the nation give respond with, "What the fuck?" and scramble to alert non-terrorist Americans nationwide to contact their senators.

"When you first get here, it's like putting your face in front of a fire hydrant," said Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso. "So much bad stuff happens in the last three weeks," he added.

The Houston Chron reminds us that there isn't much time left in the Session and some shady shit goes down from now on until May 30.

We can't possibly keep up with it all, so we hope you'll be shooting us emails to keep us abreast (hehe, we said breast) of what's slithering its way through.

Guess we'll have to cut back on the late night drinking because it's hard to do this with a massive hangover. That sucks.

There's been a lot of media coverage of the Pentagon's announcement to start closing bases nationwide. As long as I can remember, announcing the closing of a military base has created controversy. The controversy isn't so much military-preparedness, but the economic impact on the city or town where the base is located.

We're progressive liberals and we believe in a strong national defense and a strong military. If closing bases in Texas will result in an overall better prepared and more abled military, we support that effort.

Add your caption to this photo or suggest new text for the sign beside Perry.

(photo courtesy: Comeandtakeit Blog)

We found this article interesting after all the hoopla over Texas' too-sexy cheerleaders. Some teenage gals from the Valley, influenced by the extremely high teen pregnancy rate in their area, got together and made a sex-ed film called "Toothpaste". The article says that "the film is a frank discussion about sexuality from a region where 37 of 1,000 girls get pregnant by age 17, according to state statistics." It has been bought by Showtime and will be shown in schools around the country.

Felicidades, chicas. We wonder if any of our legislators will ever see it. Ha! We can't even write that with a straight face. We know a good amount of them view giving condoms to teens as a way of encouraging them to have sex. *sigh*

Friday's emails include these tidbits:

- HJR 6 has no senate sponsor, despite what people might be saying.
- The senate abortion bill has no chance of passing. Several pro-life organizations are against consent, although they can't really explain why.
- AND, I think PD and Bluebon might actually work on the SNR committe, perhaps the clerk and her sister? Just a thought, I could be wrong, but you (they) fit a number of the criterion...

(PD Note: What criteria? Drop dead sexy, way smarter than everybody else, hilarious, and a little slutty when we get drunk?)

The obvious conclusion drawn by The Daily Show with John Stewart. As the fake news pointed out, Texas ranks 47th in SAT scores, has a very high dropout rate for high school students and ranks at or near the top of the nation in uninsured children. Sexy Cheerleading is clearly the root cause and it's nice to see our legislature recognized nationally for its progressive direction to combat the state's position as a national joke.

The Senate passed the legislation to require a recorded vote on bills and amendments yesterday.(DMN) We had hoped this would go somewhere this session, but as usual the House doesn't agree. Craddick thinks this is unneccessary legislation. Uhm, ok...so being able to see how our elected officials vote is unneccessary but amending the state constitution to ban something that is already illegal?

Ok, we see how you roll.

The DMN reports Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, spoke of his divine call in a letter he handed to Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, about two weeks ago regarding the amendment to the CPS bill to ban homosexuals and bisexuals as foster parents.

We got drunk last night and called up Jesus and he told us, "Dude, it totally pisses me off that Talton is using me to keep my children out of loving homes. I don't get why so many people keep using me to promote hate. I swear to myself that I've never promoted hate."

We told Jesus we'd try to get that statement to the press.

Dan Savage, a nationally syndicated columnist received this question. Someone sent it to us as it appeared in the Village Voice.

Q:I work in an office at the Texas House of Representatives. Last week the House passed an amendment to the Child Protective Services bill saying not only that gay people can't be foster parents, but also that if you already are a foster parent and are discovered to be gay, your children will be taken away from you. This week they passed a bill to amend the Texas Constitution to invalidate any legal agreement similar to marriage for same-sex couples. Every day the Texas House opens its session with a prayer. Representatives bring in pastors from their districts. The prayers usually sound something like, "God knows what he wants you to do today. . . . Let God guide you in your important decisions." I was wondering, if you were to write a prayer invoking the name of God before the Texas House of Representatives, what would you say? â??GAY GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEE

A:"Dear God, deliver me from Texas."

We got this today, it was too good to pass up:

I don't know if you heard this delicious quote from Carter Casteel on the House floor today but it's a keeper. Bohac brought his baby to the
floor so everybody was ogling, but Casteel wanted people to note the ballot box at the front mic:

"Take your eyes off that pretty baby and take a look at my box up here."

We asked the Senate Natural Resources Staff for a list of fashion disasters, instead they give us must-haves. Typical of folks in the pinkdome to skirt the issue at hand, but a fun list nonetheless. Any other staffers up to the challenge?

We on the Senate Natural Resources staff like to remain positive and instead of a disaster list, we have complied a top ten fashion must have list for any senate staffer. After hours of hard work and cans of sugar free red bull enegry drink (The offical sponsor of the Senate Natural Resources Office) here it is...

10) Black Channel Purse
9) Blackberry with matching iPod mini
8) Senate Floor Pass with green smilie face sticker
7) Antartica Expedition Gear (the perfect accessory to the floor pass)
6) Black with white polka dots tie
5) Matching bow tie for Wednesdays
4) State of Texas Earrings and Pendent set
3) State of Texas Elbow patches
2) New Balance sneakers for the 10 am, 1 pm, and 3:30 pm extension walks
1) Sine Die shirt (one size too small, that Session weight will come off!!!)

We get a lot of email from progressive organizations (surprise, surprise). One from People for the American Way really caught our attention today, though. They have a plan to use cell phones to protest the nuclear option:

Itâ??s called Mass Immediate Response (MIR) and it allows thousands of people to contact the Senate and make their voices heard all at the same time.

Hereâ??s how it works: As soon as Senate Republicans trigger the â??nuclear option,â?? weâ??ll send a text message to your cell phone. Embedded in that text message is a link to a Senate phone number based on your state. With the push of a couple buttons, your call â?? along with thousands of others â?? goes right through to the corridors of power demanding preservation of the filibuster.

The payday loan bill looks like it died yesterday with a point-of-order by Rep. Martinez-Fisher. The bill would have permitted payday loan companies to charge higher fees, what would amount to an interest rate of up to 391%. Why was this even on the House floor??

Representative Dan Flynn lamented, "I guess I'll have to find another way to fuck the poor folks in my district."

(AAS)

After a nine hour plus debate on the Senate floor, we have a Senate version of the Education bill.(DMN) Now it's off to conference with the House. Dewhurst, basking in the afterglow, lights a cigarette and speaks seductively to the House for the first time this session.

You notice we have put a button on the right hand side there to encourage you to contribute to the Texas Democratic Party. Click it, pull out your credit card and pretend you are buying some really awesome online porn.

We read yesterday that in recent filings the Texas Democratic Party had about $6,300 in cash on hand. Yeah, that's what we said.

We decided to not only post a link, but also urge you to donate some cash. The Dems cannot elect strong candidates without the almighty dollar. They also cannot keep the DINO's in line without the ability to back up credible primary threats without the cash.

Donate. Send the link to every person you know in Texas that bitches about this legislative session and the DeLay Republicans and tell them to donate as well.

If you do, we'll post online porn for you. That way you can still feel like you spent your money online for something good.

The House passed a cap on the top 10% admissions policy for UT-Austin and Texas A&M.

"The University of Texas wants to be an all-white university," said Dutton. "... I think they are trying to give us the middle finger."

Funny, we kind of get the middle finger a lot so we're more used to it than Dutton probably is.

Molly Ivins, our favorite Texas shit-stirrer upper, reports on the British official memorandum that we haven't seen reported anywhere else. The memo outlines the minutes from a meeting with British officials and President Bush.

Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.

Well, there you go. I'll take impeachable offenses for $400, Alex.

(Edited to add): Get OUT! CNN has something, too.

The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas is seeking a field associate to direct its statewide field programs in Texas. This position will report to the Executive Director, and will work closely with the Volunteer Coordinator. (Job description after the jump) See more job postings in the "Job Listings" category.

Filming of the new reality show Real World: Texas Politics is winding down. Here is our exclusive cast bios for all you fans.
Tommy: Tommy grew up in the wilds of west Texas and joins the cast as a hardline player in the world of tax proposals.
CK: CK loves Jesus and just wants everyone to love her. Watch out for her mood swings when crossed, drama ensues!
G-Net: Raised on the mean streets of Houston, G-Net escaped the hood for school in Washington, DC. He hates 'playas' and is very confrontational.
Senfronia: Senfronia is the outspoken member of the cast. She is an in-your-face kind of girl who's favorite catchphrase is, "You're stupid." She's usually, right.
Dini: Dini went to an all-girls school and is excited about being let loose in the nightlife of Austin, far outside of the watchful eye of her parents. Cast members later call for an intervention.
Mary J.: Mary J. hates diversity. She's considered the explosive member of the cast and causes much friction. Word is, she's voted out of the house soon.
P-Diddy: Mr. Bling as he's known among the other housemates is currently fighting off charges he slapped CK. Producers are deciding if anger-management classes will be enough to keep him in the house.

Stay tuned for more!

We just have to say that Vicki Truitt was apparently not raised right. We aren't saying why, but her tackiness should be a beacon to all that is tacky.

Once again, we turn to onegoodmove to provide us with The Daily Show's take on blogs. Stewart points out the laziness of the cable news shows that actually have shows that read blogs online. Hilarity ensues.

This is really for the Dems, so Republicans reading this kindly turn away.

Messaging is a very important political tool. Inconsistent in your message? You're a flip-flopper. Unclear in your message? You aren't decisive and confident. Too complicated in your message? You are an 'intellectual elite' out-of-touch with everyday Texans.

Democrats have to own their message, and I'm sad to say they do a piss-poor job of it...nationally and statewide. (No offense, Mike)

Texans have little confidence in the Legislature, according to a poll conducted by Scripps Howard Texas. The poll, as reported by the Houston Chron, says 77% of Texans do not believe the legislature will come up with a school financing solution.

Here's my favorite part:
And only 44 percent were very or somewhat confident that any plan would be better than the current system.

Where in the fuck are these 44% of people? Surely the poll did not somehow manage to call all of Jim Keffer's family to get this result. I think the Chron should run a new story tomorrow. Here's the headline:

Forty-Four Percent of Texans Are Complete Morons. House Passes Legislation to Provide Lobotomies at Several Locations Throughout State.

Lovely. Maybe we should manufacture PinkDome branded paper bags to put over our heads in shame. The Onion gets in on the act.

Phil King tells the DMN that if the Democrats have any more points of order he may kill his bill (1212) because this late in the session it could jeopardize other legislation...and there woudln't be enough time to fix it.

A.) He doesn't say his bill is a heinous attack on parental rights and abused teenagers.
B.) I have a point of order Mr. King, your bill is a NOT a parental rights bill, your bill is an attack on women's rights, parental rights, the judicial process, AND encourages teenager abuse of already at-risk kids.

and oh yeah, you suck.

Thursday on the calendar. In the meantime, has anyone seen any legislation approved this year that helps Texans? (Shuffling through stacks of paper) Nope, me either.

Point of order recognized, the Chair pats PinkDome on the ass.

Gambling is like a bad rash that just keeps coming back. We just got this word:

The horse track lobbyists working on VLT legislation are making one last-ditch effort to get some sort of VLT legislation passed this session. Supposedly they're looking for a bill in the Senate to attach it to, and in a form that only requires a majority vote, not a constitutional amendment.

You know what sucks? What sucks is that the business of the House has to continue tonight at 6 p.m. after the Houston memorial and Austin graveside service and reception for Rep. Joe Moreno. With the speed of state business things must be rushed through to completion in spite of the fact that many state legislators and staffers are wishing the world would just stop for a few days.

In the spirit of showing us how cruel the world is, Speaker Craddick has HB 1212 on the calendar for tonight in the House. HB 1212, you'll remember, is the "Phil King Hates Abused Teenagers" bill. This so-called parental consent bill is controversial and messy.

Jessica Farrar, a leader on this issue and a champion of women's rights, is the Democrats hope to put strength in the debate against this awful legislation. After delivering a 40+ minute moving eulogy of her friend and former chief of staff, we're sure her strength and fortitude are spent.

We, at PinkDome, hope that since Craddick is forcing controversial legislation today that the Democrats honor democratic principles and stand shoulder-to-shoulder against the littany of bad legislation. Maybe, just maybe you picked the wrong day asshole to try to shove this bill in the faces of people that came to Austin to fight for the principles they believe in.

Maybe, just maybe they'll dry their eyes and remember why they are there and maybe...we'll see power and tightly clenched jaws and a committment to put an end to these dirty tricks and railroading of legislation through the House.

We can hope, can't we?

Ahem...Senate Natural Resources Committee staffers...why don't y'all busy yourself with sending us your top ten fashion disasters list. (In other words someone tells us y'all are goofing off too much today.)

We get an email with more on the Harris, Corona and Dewhurst tet-a-tete (sorry, I couldn't find the circumflex accent mark)

Last I heard he may ALSO have gotten his ass chewed, but that was not the whole meeting. He was chewed out over the bill he had last week on funeral home companies. He said in committee that his bill was not retroactive and apparently that is the entire intent of his bill. A few harrumph, harrumphs about it.

I have it from a source that is VERY close to Harris who said he offered his resignation and the members would not accept it, thereby further pissing Dewhurst off. Source says that he'd be shocked if Harris is recognized by Dewhurst on any bill the rest of this session.

Rowr.

We just heard about this in an email and had to share it. If you go to InDeLay'sPocket.com, you can see where your Rep stacks up in DeLay's favors. We see Michael McCaul is listed at 121, which is a little surprising. We thought he'd be higher up there! It must be because he's still a relative newbie.

The bill to protect reporters' sources has been pulled down. Senator Ellis tells the DMN he thinks sources will dry up and leave Texans with less information. That may hold true for some criminal cases out there, but when it comes to telling the truth we believe people are just dying to if someone would listen.

Personally, we'd love to be the next great 'whistleblower' and receive a lottery-like settlement from the Feds.

AIPAC, America's Pro-Israel Lobby seeks Political Director. Job details and application details after the jump. If you're hiring, send PinkDome your jobs and we'll post them for free. (Job seekers, see category: Job Listings on right column)

While perusing the conservative group's bill analysis we stopped at HB 816, a bill to increase the minimum wage. This bill has languished in committee and is going nowhere. Raising the minimum wage is always a controversial issue. Here's what the Heritage Alliance says:

The minimum wage is exactly that, it is not a maximum. It does not follow that because the minimum wage may be low that everyone is being paid that rate. When was the last time you earned the minimum wage?(emphasis added)

We looked around a bit, and here's what we found. According to the 2004 Bureau of Labor Statistics web site (we know, so obscure I figured they probably couldn't find out this information. It took us about 10 seconds using the internets) there are 7.2% of Texas workers over the age of 16 that earn an hourly wage. Of that group, 12.9% earned $5.15 and 8.8% earned less than $5.15 as of the date of this report.

This table shows the distribution of workers in the region including Texas by age. View image

So, Heritage Alliance why don't you try to do some actual analysis and leave the sarcasm out of your official position papers. There are plenty of Texans earning hourly wages at or below the minimum wage according to a biased organization like the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. Someone call these idiots and tell them that a drunk blogger sitting here in his underwear at 3 a.m. just made them look like the idiots they are.

If you're going to be biased and stupid in your analysis just come out and be biased. For example:

Heritage Alliance opposes raising the minimum wage because that would mean employers would have to pay people that actually do all the work in their companies a living wage. We think it's best if the really poor stay poor that way they are too dumb to know any better when we tell them that the Republicans are looking out for their best interest.

Last Friday the Senate wasn't in recess to discuss how to handle Representative Moreno's sudden death. It was in recess so Dewhurst could tear into Senator Harris because he passed three bills out on the local calendar that had not been certified as such.

So, if Harris submitted his resignation as chairman of the Committee on Administration that's why. (UPDATE: resignation offered, not accepted)
(EDITED)--Commenter says it was Carona getting the ass-chewing, not Harris. So...was Harris just watching or something?

Like you, we see the end of the Session looming and at times we think it can't come soon enough. Then we think how do we take advantage of the last days we have left to figure out what we'll do next.

While we ponder that, we have a couple of things planned. First, we created a category for "Job Listings" and asked you to forward any jobs you hear of for us to post here for those session only employees that may be reading to give them a head start on their job searches. (Email us either a link or a job description and we'll post it straightaway without editorial comment)

Secondly, we did a survey and asked you what you'd like to see and what you hated and et cetera and so on and so forth. We took 200 responses and have a lot of things to talk about that you said. One thing you said was you'd like to see "Ask PinkDome" added. We weren't even really sure what we meant by that so we'll let you decide.

Email us or leave us a comment with your questions for PinkDome and we'll answer them. Be they about policy, our favorite drink or how we manage to find our way out of the door of our house every day due to our immense stupidity.

In the meantime, we'll keep watching the next few weeks and then we'll think about where PinkDome will go next. There's plenty of options and Texas politics is always interesting. We've focused on the lege, but nationally Texans are a big joke, too. Maybe we'll turn our eyes on Washington. Then there's the possibility of a special session or two and then the upcoming elections. So stick around, keep sending us those tips and emails.

Ok, we hate talking about Tax Bills and such. Math is for four-eyed pasty-white dorks. But, every once in a while we like to act like we're paying attention to the shit some of y'all care about. So, we'll quote from the Statesman's Postcards from the Lege (they just added comments, too...again..welcome to 2003).

Here's how the tax increases break down:

Families with total annual incomes smaller than $100,000 would see their taxes go up, (emphasis added) the analysis says. Those with incomes between $101, 600 and $140,900 would pretty much break even, and those with incomes greater than $140,900 would see a slight tax cut, about 1.5 percent on average.

The largest increase, 4.1 percent, would hit families with incomes between $22,833 and $31,735. Families with incomes between $31,735 and $51,750 would see average increases of at least 3.5 percent.

Awesome. For my dollar here's what I want:

• Bigoted, idealogue legislators required to wash my car at least once per week
• Teacher pay raises and computers in schools.
• Motion to move the Capitol from Austin so I don't run the chance of running into you assholes when I'm trying to have a friggin' drink sometimes.
• Oh, and some sort of workable solution so abused kids aren't getting beaten to death while under the alleged protection of the Child Protective Services Agency.

Arianna Huffington's long anticipated and much ballhyhooed blog is finally live. We love it. Especially the headline that the NY Times may be starting its own blog. (Wonder if they'd accept our resume?)

We pass along the link so you staffers have something to read today besides boring bill analysis. Since the sun is out we're going to get drunk at Hula Hut. PD--OUT.

Talton has another bill coming up soon. This one is a housing bill. The Texas Low Income Housing Information Service says:

This massive bill effectively undoes the many recent Sunset reforms of TDHCA that the Legislature worked to hard to enact reforms that have been met largely with success. The Sunset Advisory Commission has praised TDHCA's "commendable effort" to implement these reforms. This bill wipes out these reforms in one fail swoop.

HB 1167 is the bill. The group found 93 significant problems with the bill, in their opinion. The notice they sent out shows the fatigue and disbelief in the text and actions of this bill with this, "To address all of its bad provisions now would be impossible there are simply too many."

School Finance Reform: The House and Senate are still estranged lovers; Education groups and business groups still at odds. Even Dewhurst asks, "What about the children?" (Story: DMN)

Strayhorn corrals support on limiting funding for toll roads: Perry votes with her but then calls her names behind her back. Perry looks bad, Grandma wins. We like the justice in that. (Story: San Antonio Express-News)

The Lege is in the final stretch and it seems like nothing's been done: The Houston Chron is about as pissed off about as we've seen any mainstream media outlet. They bother to beg the legislators to forget about their largest donors and think about Texans. We spit or morning coffee out at that little nugget of naivete. (Story: Houston Chron)

Republicans in power fight like white trash at a family reunion: Taxes and school finance aren't the only things the Republicans can't agree on, the two houses are not coming together on several bills as the session races towards its end. (Story Midland Reporter-Telegram)

Dumbest Legislature Ever: The Statesman's John Kelso wins our heart with his column, and putting in print that we've got the dumbest bunch of yahoos ever assembled for this session. XO, John..finally something worth reading in the Statesman. (Story: Austin American-Statesman)

Our first PinkDome job posting. Thanks LGRL.

Campaign Finance Coordinator-The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas-Texans for Equality

Job Details after the jump.

Let's say you saw a mugger and a bank robber in a fight. Which one do you root for? That's kind of how we feel about the fight between SBC and the Cable company. Sure, I'm all for more competition to reduce overall prices on my cable bill. (Full disclosure: I don't have cable, it's a total waste of money.) But, if SBC wants in the game they should have to abide by the same rules as the cable company had to in order to provide services on every Farm to Market road in Texas.

No love lost for either of these giants with their bills so hard to read, disregard for customer service or hiring the highest paid lobbyists to 'convince' our legislators.

But the same cannot be said for papers in Washington. The mayor of Spokane, a former state legislator, was 'outed' for soliciting 18 year old men for sex and internships. He was known during his tenure in the legislature for opposing gay rights. He even authored a bill which failed, that would have barred gay men and lesbians from working in schools, day-care centers and some state agencies. It called for screening prospective employees for sexual orientation and firing employees whose homosexuality became known.

Sound like any Texan representative we know? Just sayin' is all.

There was a small rally this morning in case you missed it. But, did you know today was 'No Pants Day' in Austin? I'd like to make a personal plea to every person that works in the capitol to please keep their pants on...just for today. I know that's too much to ask of some of you for any true duration. Here's the first No Pants photo.

See? It's patriotic. Or something.

We received this proposed sign for football stadiums to help inform and enforce the no booty-shaking bill. Take a look after the jump and email us your version of a proposed sign. We'll submit the best ones to Al Edwards in a gift box labeled: "Visual Representations of How Stupid We Think You Are."

Oh, and one more challenge for you: Anyone sending me photos of the Denny wedding will receive a Toblerone bar hand delivered by me.

1965-2005

Travelling back home to his district, Rep. Moreno was killed in a rollover accident. Riding with the Rep. were Dallas Rep. Rafael Anchia and the Chief of Staff for Rep. Pickett.

More at the Quorum Report, In The Pink Texas, and the Houston Chronicle.

Our thoughts and prayers for the Moreno family.

Edited to add: We have closed comments on this post.

200 people responded to our survey and wow, great answers folks. We have tons of things to write about based on what you say. We only wish we knew more about the 'private sex lives' going on in the Dome because y'all really want to hear about them! The full answers after the jump.
Most importantly? Our who's the hottest or most interesting (depending on how you read the question).

There were 49 different write answers to this question with some interesting notes. (We included our favorites after the jump)

Speaker Tom Craddick and Beverly Woolley announce the wedding of Mary Denny to Norman Tolpo on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives tomorrow evening after the House adjourns.

Geannie Morrison sent an email to all the female members of the House requesting that as "bridesmaids" they all wear pink. Her memo after the jump.

We're still accepting responses to our PinkDome Survey. So far we have come to one conclusion about our readers. Y'all are horny little sons-a-bitches! We'll post a full analysis tomorrow.

We learn from Lasso that our lovely state will be one of the focal points of this evening's Daily Show episode. We wait with bated breath to see the mockery that is our Lege being mocked.

Sadly we noticed that the cheerleading bill was actually a top story on our local news outlets last night. Sheesh.

update: Um, it wasn't on tonight. . . we saw a preview/teaser for next week. That'll have to tide us over.

But we thought this video was worth sharing for those of you that might have missed it. Bright Eyes appeared on Jay Leno and sang a protest song about President Bush. The song is Called, "When The President Talks to God." You can watch the Quicktime Video here.

We mention it because it's nice to see a protest song every once in a while in our lay down and take it world. (We bet Jay Leno wasn't too happy, though)

Texas is poised to become the nation's dumping ground for nuclear waste. According to today's Chron, Senator Duncan's measure to require payment to the state and host county for the storage of nuclear waste passed.

Proving once again that we don't care what you do, really, as long as you pay us for it.

TXU is going to see that George "Buddy" West gets the shotgun he wants. How nice. I'm writing my letter to TXU with what I want right now. Y'all should get busy writing yours, I don't know exactly when TXU gift day is but it must be soon!(Source: Karen Brooks, DMN) Read the story in the 'more'

Someone turned us onto a thing called Survey Monkey. Curious we came up with our own highly scientific survey for you. Click here to take the suvey about the 79th Legislative Session and we'll post the results. Results will be posted Friday morning!

Why is PinkDome getting Press Releases from the Brookings Institution?
It's after the jump in case you care. (We don't)

The Internet is a great place to waste time. According to this highly scientific Internet Quiz, PinkDome is 18% Republican. Tell us your results. We'd most like to see Al Edwards and Patrick Rose's results since they seem to be the two Dems that are the furthest to the right this Session.

Rep. Tommy Merritt & Rep. Dan Branch. (courtesy: DMN)
Read more after jump:

Click refresh for our liveblog! Leave your comments to contribute.
PinkDome: burkas! cheerleaders should wear burkas! I think they know this is gonna be on The Daily Show and they are performing and Eiland just played "Shake Your Booty" on a tape recorder at the back mic. This is gonna be fun.

First record vote 64-64, fails to pass. Now we are waiting for the vote verification.

PinkDome: Well that was STUPID
PinkDome: 65-56 is the final vote
Sam: dumb
PinkDome: And there was WHOOPING???
PinkDome: WTF? When did we step through the looking glass?

Free screening of "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" tonight in Austin. Details after the jump.

The parliamentary attempt to shut down the House failed. We're glued to the proceedings waiting for the most anticipated bill of the day. In the meantime Hope's bill on bullying FINALLY makes it to the floor. As we watch, click the extended entry and hit refresh for new posts on this entry.

The House stands in Recess until 3 p.m. Represenative Thompson raised a point regarding the supplemental calendar just prior to recess for lunch and brought it again this afternoon. There is a disagreement as to whether the supplemental calendar must be layed out for 2 hours or 36 hours. The 2 hour delay was Craddick's call, so we sit here until 3, eagerly awaiting the sexy cheerleader debate. Oh well, that's enough time to learn a new routine.

You Rules experts explain it to us in the comments, please. Thanks.

This delay gives us some time before cheerleading is on the floor. Could all you staffers meet me in room E2010 so we can work out a routine? Bring the pom-poms and megaphones those folks dropped off so we look like a real squad, ok?

That's right, today the 'Sexy Cheerleader Bill' as it has become known is scheduled for debate on the House Floor. We've done hate, we've done outrageous taxing, we've done disenfranchisement of voters, and today we'll tackle the absurd cherry on the absurd legislative session sundae: sexy cheerleader moves.

I suggest you put on your old uniforms, pull out your pom-poms and give it a serious shake it move.

We totally are. We've also rented "Bring It On" so we can learn some routines today, as well as snappy comebacks.

We are sure we'll be liveblogging this debate. We invite you to join us. You may chat online via AIM with either of us, or just leave your comments to help our liveblog along.

Edited to add: A producer at The Daily Show tells us they are indeed working on a story about the sexy cheerleader bill.

28 Days, the same amount of inpatient short-term substance abuse rehabilitation programs. (Made glamorous and funny by Austin's favorite celebrity resident: Sandra Bullock)

As we approach the close of the session, we've been perusing the sites of substance abuse centers to check ourselves in after sine die. We think we'll need a full 28 days to overcome our addiction of getting drunk and writing about the most ridiculous thing we've ever written about: Texas politics.

If y'all feel the need to join us, we suggest a treatment facility near the capitol city so you can make a prompt return for any special sessions that may or may not happen in June.

HB 1706 was approved by the House today. Everybody keeps saying this is a "poll tax" and will potentially prevent some elderly and poor from voting, or their vote being cast as a "provisional ballot." We love that term, provisional ballot, cause we know what that means: you vote does not count and will most likely never be counted.

The AARP sent letters opposing the measure to all of the members. Rep. Denny says that their is rampant voter fraud in Texas. Gee, remember when we started this session with the Hubert Vo challenge? Remember how their really wasn't any fraud found that amounted to anything? Did you see Denny (the Chairwoman of the Elections Committee) could not come up with any specific cases of voter fraud in Texas?

One question: Where the hell is voter outrage over this measure?

Seeing none, PinkDome endorses disenfranchisement of Texas voters. Adjourned.

The coroner in the Wizard of Oz said something like that. It's our homage to the Technicolor world that is the Texas Lege today. Mary Denny dropped the house on the bill and skips off to who knows where with the other players:

Subcommittee Chair Bryan Hughes--The Scarecrow
Vice Chair Dwayne Bohac--The Cowardly Lion
Rep. "Doc" Anderson--The Tin Man
Speaker Craddick--The Wizard (D'uh)
Clean Up Texas Politics was the casting agent, here are the bios for our cast:
Chairwoman Mary Denny benefited from some $5,000 in corporate-funded mailers promoting her candidacy in her 2002 Republican primary.
Subcommittee Chair Bryan Hughes benefited from nearly $80,000 in corporate-funded sham issue ad mailers in his 2002 general election.
Vice Chair Dwayne Bohac benefited from around $80,000 of corporate-funded mailers in his 2002 election and another $20,000 in corporate money apparently laundered through the RNC.
Rep. "Doc" Anderson accepted corporate checks in his 2004 election and his opponent made it a campaign issue.

Speaker Craddick appointed these committee members despite their conflicts of interest.

Someone alerted us to two bills we hadn't seen. Maybe we should search the Lege's site for 'death' every once in a while. HB1086- Public Health Committee (CSHB1086) & SB385 . These two bills would make it law that consumers must use a funeral director for a cremation. Right now, consumers can do business directly with a crematory for an approximate cost of $400.

If this bill passes, the cost will immediately go to the $600-$4000 at today's prices.

In other words, looks to us like the Funeral Directors in Texas feel like they are getting cut of out of the loop and have put up some legislation that puts more money in their wallet and less in yours.

Confused? Don't Be.

A Florida teenager, in the custody of the Florida Dept. of Children & Families, is being denied the right to terminate her pregnancy by that state agency. The transcript of an NPR report on the case is below. This situation is an example of a minor whose parents abandonded her long ago, and for who the state agency in charge of her failed to properly care, and who now may be forced to becoming a parent against her will.

And in Texas? Under current state law, because the managing conservator of a minor in custody of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, is that agency, once notified, the minor can proceed with her decision to terminate her pregnancy.

However, under the proposed HB 1212 (King R-Weatherford), a girl in a
similar situation who lives in a group home or with a foster family, and who may have no parental figure at all in her life, could easily be forced to become a parent, even at the age of 13. HB 1212, which requires parental consent before a minor can proceed with an abortion, makes absolutely no provision for a girl who has no parents and shifts the decision about whether to continue her pregnancy to a judge. Children in this situation, and there are many in the great state of Texas, are again failed by our state agencies, our laws and the system. And she is the one who will bear another child into a the malfunctioning bureaucracy that did not protect her in the past.

This story illustrates just one of many examples of why HB 1212 punishes abused and abandoned girls who are the least equipped to become parents.