Being at the Lege is a little like being in Las Vegas; there's a suspension of outside time. And because what's happening on the floor affects so many lives, being there can be a compelling experience. Two years ago after a particularly stressful day at the Lege in May it was nice to walk outside and see this wedding party, and to watch the tourists pause in respect. |
| Friends, all of the above is why sending your representative or senator an angry email or a pleading phone call -- unless you can persuade hundreds or thousands of like-minded friends to join you -- is generally why your efforts fall on deaf if superficially pleasant ears. Unless you're spending many hours with legislators and their aides, giving them hundreds and thousands of serious dollars, not to mention wining and dining them plus doing lots of other fun things together like hosting an "appreciation fundraiser" for them at a swanky hotel, say -- you are largely participating in an empty exercise. Best and surest way to be effective is to start small, start local and start simple. Big oaks from small acorns. |
Interested in how well-
orchestrated lobbying might
work?
Let's say you're a grocer, someone who inherited
billions, and as someone who inherited a lot of
wealth you're a liberal. Let's say you want
universal pre-K. How are you gonna get it?
orchestrated lobbying might
work?
Let's say you're a grocer, someone who inherited
billions, and as someone who inherited a lot of
wealth you're a liberal. Let's say you want
universal pre-K. How are you gonna get it?
Outside the House floor and lobby, down the
grand stairwell or elevators, you come to the
basement (right) where you will find lobbyists.
Then down some stairs you reach the
underground Annex, the central ceiling a flood
of sunshine from the overhead skylights.
And here -- surprise, surprise -- you will find
more lobbyists and vendors.
grand stairwell or elevators, you come to the
basement (right) where you will find lobbyists.
Then down some stairs you reach the
underground Annex, the central ceiling a flood
of sunshine from the overhead skylights.
And here -- surprise, surprise -- you will find
more lobbyists and vendors.
| SNAPSHOTS FROM THE LEGE: Your bird's eye view of the place where you're separated from your money and lose your liberties. |
| The nation's 1st & only daily conservative public education commentary - Solutions, not Fear |
| P E Y T O N W O L C O T T |
How we take back our children's education: one person, one question, one school at a time. |
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| Copyright 1999-2009 Peyton Wolcott |
"Walk softly and carry a big stick." -- Teddy Roosevelt "Trust but verify." -- Ronald Reagan |
| Just because you can doesn't mean you should. |
| "Gloria from Luling" on sidewalk outside Walsh Anderson party at Austin's Iron Cactus with unnamed man who was shy about revealing his name (TASA Mid Winter, 2007 ) |
| The American Superintendent (Leonard Merrell) as Allan Ramsay's King George III (Mixed-media collage by Peyton Wolcott, Copyright 2008) |
Wolcott
Peyton
| 1. End discretionary spending. Set an example for your staff; let them know you mean business about running a tighter ship: No trips, no conferences, no meals, no credit cards. If you want to learn more about something, use Google. Do a webinar. Read a newsletter. No golf games with vendors, ever. No chauffeurs, no rental cars. Stay home, do your work and keep your nose clean. 2. Reduce administrative costs. Go through your administrative staff roster and cut every other job, starting with getting rid of all PR and marketing. No advisors, no consultants. Learn how to really read a budget. Put your check register and all wire transfers online. 3. Ethics. No nepotism. Let your wife and kids earn a living in a field other than education. No board members' spouses working in the district. Conduct all discussions with vendors and potential vendors in the open; invite your public to watch and ask questions. Throw away your contract and work year by year. Move your chair off the dais at board meetings. You're not a team member with your elected trustees. You're not equal to them. They're your boss. 4. No construction. If you're the rare district truly experiencing sufficient growth to justify building new schools, splinter off that population and let them start their own new school district or charter school. They might be able to take over an abandoned church or office building for much less than the Taj Mahal you had in mind. 5. Back-to-basics curriculum. Math table (1st grade: add, 2nd grade: subtract, 3rd grade multiply, 4th grade divide) daily drill. You made sure your own kids learned the basics at home or with tutors; why shouldn't all children have that same opportunity? Ditto for phonics. Classical literature. History, not social studies. No more block scheduling. Daily P.E. for all. Emphasize individual effort and accomplishment. 6. Attitude. You're a public servant, not a Third World dictator. Practice humility and gratitude. Remember when your employees laugh at your jokes or tell you you're cool or vendors marvel at your every utterance that they're all sucking up to you. Remember why you got into education to begin with. Sell your house in the gated community and buy one in the middle of a real subdivision like your average parents and taxpayers can afford. Let yourself be driven not by the latest platitude you picked up at the latest education conference but by the same wonderful noble desire to educate kids that got you into this field. |
| More "Best Practices" here. |
| Raise Your Hand Texas 816 Congress Ave Suite 990 Austin, TX 78701 Ratliff, William R. (00020737) P.O. Box 1218 Mt. Pleasant, TX 75456 $25,000 - $49.999.99 Raise Your Hand 327 Congress Suite 450 Austin, TX 78701 Erben, Randall H. (00013689) 807 Brazos Suite 402 Austin, TX 78701 50,000 - $99,999.99 Wakefield, Kakhi H. (00062269) 807 Brazos Street Suite 402 Austin, TX 78701 Less Than $10,000.00 Yarbrough, Brian G. (00037475) 807 Brazos Suite 402 Austin, TX 78701 Less Than $10,000.00 |
| Ratliff II, Shannon H. (00050870) (512)494-3656 - Bracewell & Giuliani LLP 111 Congress Avenue Suite 2300 Austin, TX 78701 Long-time school law attorneys: Bracewell & Giuliani LLP 111 Congress Avenue Suite 2300 Austin, TX 78701-4304 Less Than $10,000.00 Active school tech vendors: Cisco Systems Inc. 12515 Research Blvd. Building 2 Austin, TX 78759 $50,000 - $99,999.99 City of Carrollton 1945 E. Jackson Road Carrollton, TX 75006 $50,000 - $99,999.99 Invenergy Wind Development LLC 1400 S. Congress Avenue Suite B-330 Austin, TX 78704 $50,000 - $99,999.99 Not in good standing as of Jan. 28, 2009 with Texas Comptroller: The Corporation for Texas Regionalism 1305 San Antonio Street Austin, TX 78701 $50,000 - $99,999.99 Heaven forbid that the Ratliff's wouldn't get some of the taxpayer bank bailout money: Wachovia Corporation 150 Fayetteville Street Mall Suite 600 Raleigh, NC 27601 $50,000 - $99,999.99 |
| RATLIFF LOBBYISTS |
| Raise Your Hand for Public Schools/Raise Your Hand Texas 816 Congress Suite 990 Austin, TX 78701 Anderson, David D. (00053708) 823 Congress Suite 900 Austin, TX 78701 $25,000 - $49.999.99 Jones, Neal T. Jr. (00013745) 823 Congress Suite 900 Austin, TX 78701 Less Than $10,000.00 Raise Your Hand for Public Schools PO Box 302183 Austin, TX 78730 All "less than $10,000": Eschberger, Brenda (00029854) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 Girard, Charles H. (00058717) 504 West 14th Street Austin, TX 78701 Johnson, Michael J. (00055885) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 Kelley, Russell T. (00013737) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 Kemptner, Sara (00057952) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 McGarah, Carol (00051437) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 McGarry, Mignon (00012905) 504 West 14th Street Austin, TX 78701 Sabo, Jason T. (00052402) 1122 Colorado Street Suite 102 Austin, TX 78701 Waldon, Barbara (00057030) 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 |
| Ratliff, William R. (00020737) (903)572-1846 P.O. Box 1218 Mt. Pleasant, TX 75456 Such a sweet deal! Found "Raise Your Hand Texas" then make more than the average Texan's salary from this alone: Raise Your Hand Texas 816 Congress Ave Suite 990 Austin, TX 78701 $25,000 - $49.999.99 |
| RAISE YOUR HAND ENTITIES/LOBBYISTS |
| [Raise Your Hand director] Bull, Blaine H. (00012158) (512)744-0044 327 Congress Ave. Suite 450 Austin, TX 78701 CHRISTUS Health 4109 Carmel Mountain McKinney, TX 75070 $25,000 - $49.999.99 Texas Border Coalition 901 Business Park Dr. Suite 200 Mission, TX 78572 $10,000 - $24,999.99 Texas Employers for Immigration 1209 Nueces Street Austin, TX 78701 $10,000 - $24,999.99 |
| Yolanda Larkin of Brownsboro ISD (left, standing) facilitated this table's group consensus statement regarding their Harvard experience at the "Raise Your Hand" January 28, 2009 conference at the Austin Hilton. |
| May 2009 |
Follow
the
money:
$390.3
million
reasons
behind
Republican
Lege
support
for
government-
run pre-K
the
money:
$390.3
million
reasons
behind
Republican
Lege
support
for
government-
run pre-K
< >
< >
< >
| Meet Charles (Mr. HEB) Butt |
| LOBBYISTS AND THEIR CLIENTS |
| Who's this fellow? What's he talking about? And with whom? |
| And why did he find a quiet spot away from others to have this conversation? |
| ALTHOUGH THE SAUSAGE FACTORY TOUR HAS OFFICIALLY ENDED, MORE PHOTOS ARE STILL BEING ADDED. |
| (00050764) (512)476-8600 10213 Dahlgreen Avenue Austin, TX 78739 Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Inc. A Division of Health Care Services Corp. Mutual Legal Reserv P.O. Box 1682 Austin, TX 78767 $25,000 - $49.999.99 El Paso Electric Co. 123 W. Mills Street El Paso, TX 79901 $50,000 - $99,999.99 Michael Toomey 919 Congress Avenue Suite 1500 Austin, TX 78701 $10,000 - $24,999.99 The GEO Group Inc. One Park Place 621 NW 53rd St # 700 Boca Raton, FL 33487 $200,000 - $249,999.99 Walter Fisher 919 Congress Avenue Suite 1500 Austin, TX 78701 $10,000 - $24,999.99 Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Council P.O. Box 17579 El Paso, TX 79917 $50,000 - $99,999.99 |
| Veteran lobbyist Jack Roberts at left waits in Rotunda; at right, a Texas-style intro: "You know my Daddy." Representative Sid Miller of Stephenville's in the tan suit and former speaker Tom Craddick of Midland is at far right (blue tie). |
| Richard Hardy coming down stairs from House gallery to lobby. |
| Leo Aguirre checks his Blackberry in Rotunda. |
| Capitol Annex |
| Award for the cheeriest lobbying bunch: Texas Ag-Life lobbyists |
* Maximum possible value of lobby contracts reported _____ SOURCE: Texas Ethics Commission |
(00022725) (512)472-4554
221 W. 6th Street Suite 2000
Austin, TX 78701
Texans for Lawsuit
Reform
1200 Post Oak Boulevard No.
510 Houston, TX 77506
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Alliance for
Patient Access
P.O. Box 684157 Austin, TX
78768
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Association of
Obstetrics &
Gynecologists
141 Idelwild Creek Road
Sweetwater, TX 79556
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas College of
Emergency Physicians
2525 Wallingwood Drive
Building 13-A Austin, TX 78746
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Medical
Association
401 West 15th Street Austin,
TX 78701
Less Than $10,000.00
221 W. 6th Street Suite 2000
Austin, TX 78701
Texans for Lawsuit
Reform
1200 Post Oak Boulevard No.
510 Houston, TX 77506
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Alliance for
Patient Access
P.O. Box 684157 Austin, TX
78768
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Association of
Obstetrics &
Gynecologists
141 Idelwild Creek Road
Sweetwater, TX 79556
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas College of
Emergency Physicians
2525 Wallingwood Drive
Building 13-A Austin, TX 78746
Less Than $10,000.00
Texas Medical
Association
401 West 15th Street Austin,
TX 78701
Less Than $10,000.00
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. --Lord Acton |
Welcome to the Texas Lege!
Not in Texas? These pictures could be from your statehouse, too.
| By Peyton Wolcott Friday, May 15, 2009 - Updated Sunday, May 17, 2009 Friends, there's a vast always-hungry machine out there called big business: publicly traded corporations such as Apple and HP wanting taxpayer-funded laptops for every schoolchild, plus day care providers/profiteers, the food service industry, lawyers (see page 9 here), governmental entities including cities and school districts--an endless list. |
| All of the photos on this page are mine from Wednesday, May 13, 2009 except for the photo at top of the capitol exterior; it's from NewsTeamTexas.com; the next two are from my prior visits to the Lege in 2005 and 2007. |
| While the by-product of the interaction between lobbyists and lawmakers is often a tidy process that takes place on the floor of the House and Senate as bills are written and votes are cast . . . |
Speaker Joe Straus of the San Antonio racetrack
family with the result that liberal legislation is attrac-
ting the support of so-called conservative legislators.
Although on the surface "disarray" sounds bad, when
bills are bad disarray is actually good; excellent and
reliable sources suggest there's a good chance Gov.
Perry will veto at least some of the worst.
family with the result that liberal legislation is attrac-
ting the support of so-called conservative legislators.
Although on the surface "disarray" sounds bad, when
bills are bad disarray is actually good; excellent and
reliable sources suggest there's a good chance Gov.
Perry will veto at least some of the worst.
Think of this big hungry machine as a large animal constantly on the prowl, hungry for
more. With so much U.S. industry now offshore this machine increasingly turns to
government for sustenance; the cougars and panthers it sets loose on our statehouses
we call "lobbyists"; a good example: yesterday's report from WOAI in San Antonio.
more. With so much U.S. industry now offshore this machine increasingly turns to
government for sustenance; the cougars and panthers it sets loose on our statehouses
we call "lobbyists"; a good example: yesterday's report from WOAI in San Antonio.
| Texas Capitol |
It's bad enough that the lobbyists are after our tax dollars. Frequently
their wins mean the loss of our liberties -- and, as with someone like Mike
Hull (right) who lobbies on behalf of the Texas Medical Association -- the
loss of our unborn children's liberties also.
their wins mean the loss of our liberties -- and, as with someone like Mike
Hull (right) who lobbies on behalf of the Texas Medical Association -- the
loss of our unborn children's liberties also.
At the same time, our legislators who are likewise constantly on the prowl (for more dollars to fuel
their next campaign and also to feather their personal nests) are the lobbyists' complicit prey.
their next campaign and also to feather their personal nests) are the lobbyists' complicit prey.
| Mike Hull |
This session the House is in disarray thanks
to the lack of leadership by new liberal
to the lack of leadership by new liberal
Why this page exists
The purpose of this commentary is to show you lobbyists at work in the
Lege doing their job and interacting with legislators so that you can
understand why your emails and phone calls to your state senator and
legislator often go to no avail unless they're accompanied by schmoozing
and checks and cash in the four- to six- figure range.
The purpose of this commentary is to show you lobbyists at work in the
Lege doing their job and interacting with legislators so that you can
understand why your emails and phone calls to your state senator and
legislator often go to no avail unless they're accompanied by schmoozing
and checks and cash in the four- to six- figure range.
| THE WAIT |
| THE MEET |
Lobbyists up close
Take these two scenes at right. The fellow at far left
is lobbyist Jack Roberts (see his extensive client list
at far right) visiting with former Texas Speaker Tom
Craddick of Midland and representative Sid Miller
of Stephenville, member of the House Business &
Industry committee. Why was someone's daughter
doing the introductions? What was being worked at
the Capitol late on a Wednesday afternoon towards
the end of the session? What's in Mr. Roberts'
brown folder that he's handling so carefully?
Take these two scenes at right. The fellow at far left
is lobbyist Jack Roberts (see his extensive client list
at far right) visiting with former Texas Speaker Tom
Craddick of Midland and representative Sid Miller
of Stephenville, member of the House Business &
Industry committee. Why was someone's daughter
doing the introductions? What was being worked at
the Capitol late on a Wednesday afternoon towards
the end of the session? What's in Mr. Roberts'
brown folder that he's handling so carefully?
| (00013250) (512)477-6833 400 West 15th Street Suite 320 Austin, TX 78701 Accenture LLP 800 Connecticut Avenue #600 Washington, DC 20006 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 AMERIGROUP Corp 4425 Corporation Lane 3rd Floor Virginia Beach, VA 23462 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 Anheuser-Busch Cos One Busch Place St. Louis, MO 63118 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 AT&T Inc. 208 South Akard Street Dallas, TX 75202 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 Bank of America P.O. Box 8310000 Dallas, TX 75283-1000 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 BEPCO L.P. 201 Main Street Fort Worth, TX 76102 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 Caremark Rx Inc. 2211 Sanders Road Northbrook, IL 60062 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 DELL Inc. One Dell Way Round Rock, TX 78682 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 Energy Future Holdngs Corp. 1601 Bryan Street Dallas, TX 75201 Paid $25,000 - $49.999.99 General Motors Corp MC-482-C27-D21 300 Renaissance Center Detroit, MI 48265 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 Maximus Inc. 1356 Beverly Road McLean, VA 22101 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 Providence Svc. Corp. 5524 East Fourth Street Tucson, AZ 85711 Paid Less Than $10,000.00 Texas Beverage Assn 919 Congress Avenue Suite 950 Austin, TX 78701 Paid Less Than $10,000.00 Texas Bus Assn Inc. 19225 Camino Real Dale, TX 78616-2793 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 Texas Civil Justice League 401 West 15th Street Austin, TX 78701 Paid Less Than $10,000.00 Texas Health Care Ass'n P.O. Box 4554 Austin, TX 78765 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants 14860 Montfort Drive Suite 150 Dallas, TX 75240 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 TXU Energy Retail Co. 6555 Sierra Dr Irving, TX 75039 Paid Less Than $10,000.00 Vector Group Ltd. 100 S.E. Second St Miami, FL 33131 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 VITAS Healthcare Corp 100 South Biscayne Boulevard Suite 1500 Miami, FL 33131 Paid $10,000 - $24,999.99 |
| (00013463) (512)473-8777 807 Nueces Austin, TX 78701 Accident & Injury Pain Centers Group 200 Wynnewood Village Dallas, TX 75224 $10,000 - $24,999.99 Motorcycle Industry Council 1235 S. Clark Street Suite 600 Arlington, VA 22202 $10,000 - $24,999.99 Reagan National Advertising 1775 Warm Springs Road Salt Lake City, UT 84116 $10,000 - $24,999.99 |
| RICHARD G. HARDY $ 75,000 * |
| LIONEL AGUIRRE $ 550,000 * |
| Roberts, Jack $ 590,000 * |
| Michael S. "Mike" Hull $ 50,000 * |
Top 4 stages of lobbying
1. FORMAL - Lobbyists send letters, make phone calls and have sit-down appointments
with legislators in their Capitol offices in order to tell them what they want passed.
1. FORMAL - Lobbyists send letters, make phone calls and have sit-down appointments
with legislators in their Capitol offices in order to tell them what they want passed.
2. INFORMAL - There are golf games, 'informational'
dinners and trips, 'appreciation fundraisers,' sponsorship of
every education conference under the sun along with what
we'll call 'fun and games' and miscellaneous what-have-
you's, all for the purpose of settingup friendly occasions so
dinners and trips, 'appreciation fundraisers,' sponsorship of
every education conference under the sun along with what
we'll call 'fun and games' and miscellaneous what-have-
you's, all for the purpose of settingup friendly occasions so
| In such an environment as this -- one where "you know my Daddy" can somehow be translated into dollars and cents -- relationships are priceless & are one reason why departing Lege members so often become lobbyists. |
that lobbyists can talk with legislators and
governmental-decision-makers such as
school superintendents frankly--and privately.
governmental-decision-makers such as
school superintendents frankly--and privately.
| On the phone in the Annex |
4. BILL PASSAGE - Lobbyists watch for the final vote
from the gallery. If their bill passes, they now know how
much the next one will cost from that legislator.
from the gallery. If their bill passes, they now know how
much the next one will cost from that legislator.
| Lobbyists lobbying in the lobby of the House of Representatives. |
Top 3 places to find
lobbyists at the Texas
Lege
lobbyists at the Texas
Lege
1. House and Senate galleries.
2. Lobbies outside of House and
Senate.
3. Capitol annex including
cafeteria, halls and open areas
such as the secluded spot on the
bottom level back in the corner.
2. Lobbies outside of House and
Senate.
3. Capitol annex including
cafeteria, halls and open areas
such as the secluded spot on the
bottom level back in the corner.
Come, let's tour the Austin Lege together:
Left Gallery
| Right Gallery |
| House Floor |
| (L) Speaker Joe Straus; (R) a weekday his family's racetrack business. |
| PHOTO CREDITS |
Austin
American-
Statesman
(Cox)
American-
Statesman
(Cox)
| Tempus Fugit How things have somewhat changed since May 2007: From top left: o Joe Straus is now Speaker. o Bill Zedler lost his bid for reelection, his check register bill sunk at the last minute in the Senate by a letter from JPMorgan Chase on behalf of their big customer, Houston ISD, which had already put its check register online by then. o Sid Miller is still Sid Miller. |
| Bird's eye view of the Texas House of Representatives (late afternoon, May 13, 2009). By now casual tourists have disappeared and those remaining in the gallery likely have a dog in the race on the floor below. |
| Talking, always talking . . . |
Meanwhile, if we leave the House floor and
walk down the stairs, what do we find but a
congregation of lobbyists:
walk down the stairs, what do we find but a
congregation of lobbyists:
When not talking they are
waiting . . .
waiting . . .
And talking some more . . .
Just off the House lobby is the Rotunda:
| At left lobbyist Leo Aguirre checks his Blackberry; at far right, Michael said yes, he's a lobbyist and yes, he's registered with the Texas Ethics Commission, but declined to share his last name; his companion turned just as I was snapping this picture. Must have been a really important phone call. |
Even if you're Charles Butt and possess
billions, you're going to have to persuade
Republican House leadership to participate in
your liberal scheme, and who better to help you
than Rep. Diane Patrick (below right), a former
teacher, and House Education Committee chair
Rob Eissler (left), who helped Joe Straus
obtain the speakership last summer.
billions, you're going to have to persuade
Republican House leadership to participate in
your liberal scheme, and who better to help you
than Rep. Diane Patrick (below right), a former
teacher, and House Education Committee chair
Rob Eissler (left), who helped Joe Straus
obtain the speakership last summer.
So if you're Charles Butt, your lobbyists at Hillco Partners (red arrows
right below) throw an "appreciation fundraiser" for Diane Patrick at the
Hilton Hotel in January 2008; Mike Moses agrees to host the event.
right below) throw an "appreciation fundraiser" for Diane Patrick at the
Hilton Hotel in January 2008; Mike Moses agrees to host the event.
| "Please give a big thanks" -- to whom? By sponsoring HB 130, government-run pre-K? |
So were the millions and billions enough to get HB 130 passed and to Governor Perry's office for his signature?
Calmer minds may have prevailed and as of today the price is down from $390.3 million to $25 million -- and
the bill's been tabled for now.
But for how long will the day-care profiteers and affiliated vendors -- the always-hungry beast -- remain stilled?
Calmer minds may have prevailed and as of today the price is down from $390.3 million to $25 million -- and
the bill's been tabled for now.
But for how long will the day-care profiteers and affiliated vendors -- the always-hungry beast -- remain stilled?
Lotsa carpet -- where were all the
people? This reception was hosted
by Texas' then-three heaviest hitters,
former education commissioners all.
people? This reception was hosted
by Texas' then-three heaviest hitters,
former education commissioners all.
| Favorite overhead line by a guy with an untied shoelace: "He doesn't want the teachers lobbying any more." |
Here's a random Lege photo gallery:
Associated
Press
Press
3. THE WAITING GAME - Lobbyists visit
with their legislators in the lobby, watch from
the gallery, and check in by secure phone as
to the disposition of their bill(s).
with their legislators in the lobby, watch from
the gallery, and check in by secure phone as
to the disposition of their bill(s).
| Above, Texas Senate wing for long-termers (Florence Shapiro, Jane Nelson and Troy Fraser. |
| Golf tournament for educators at Horseshoe Bay resort; when TASMUS turned down my request for a press pass, we organized teams of volunteers who took most of these photos. |
H o w w e t a k e b a c k o u r c h i l d r e n ' s e d u c a t i o n: o n e p e r s o n , o n e q u e s t i o n , o n e s c h o o l a t a t i m e.
| Rep. Harvey Hilderbran (L) offers an amendment to Rep. Helen Giddings' (R) Entergy bill, HB 1657 which passed 73-72; Harvey voted "nea." |
Down the stairs from the Rotunda is the
Senate office wing for long-termers
like Florence Shapiro and Jane Nelson
and Horseshoe Bay's own Troy Fraser.
Here you'll find still more lobbyists....
Senate office wing for long-termers
like Florence Shapiro and Jane Nelson
and Horseshoe Bay's own Troy Fraser.
Here you'll find still more lobbyists....
Opposite the House lobby on
the other side of the Rotunda
is the Senate lobby, where
you'll find more lobbyists:
the other side of the Rotunda
is the Senate lobby, where
you'll find more lobbyists:
| On this day the House lobby was the emptiest I've seen it in a long time; by now the session's almost over, the deals mostly done, the fix generally in. |
| Not everyone in the Lege lobby wears Armani; Bob Champion (R) of the Champion Rodeo Company looks like the rodeo industry paricipant he is. Bob was at the Lege on May 18 lobbying against SB 2505 which would require young rodeo participants to wear helmets. He says they're not necessary; the bill has been left pending in committee. Bob's photo album's here. |
Resting a spell in the Rotunda . . . .
| Above are, from left to right, lobbyists Mark Lehman, David Lancaster and Daniel Gonzalez; Mark and Daniel are there on behalf of the Texas Association of Realtors, and David's lobbying for the Texas Society of Architects. At left, visiting schoolkids from Comal ISD run past adults, neither taking much notice of the other. |
| Please scroll down for more information regarding lobbyists appearing on this page. |
| Mark Lehman $200,000* |
(00039280) (512)370-2141
P.O. Box 2246 Austin,
TX 78768
Texas Association
of Realtors
1115 San Jacinto Blvd
# 200 Austin, TX 78707
$150,000 - $199,999.99
P.O. Box 2246 Austin,
TX 78768
Texas Association
of Realtors
1115 San Jacinto Blvd
# 200 Austin, TX 78707
$150,000 - $199,999.99
| David P. Lancaster $150,000* |
| Daniel E. Gonzalez $150,000* |
| From left, lobbyists Mark Lehman, David Lancaster and Daniel Gonzalez, on May 18, 2009. |
(00013490) (512)478-7386
816 Congress Ave. Suite
970 Austin, TX 78701
Texas Society of
Architects
816 Congress Ave Suite
970 Austin, TX 78701
$100,000 - $149,999.99
816 Congress Ave. Suite
970 Austin, TX 78701
Texas Society of
Architects
816 Congress Ave Suite
970 Austin, TX 78701
$100,000 - $149,999.99
(00050693) (512)370-2143
P.O. Box 2246 Austin,
TX 78768-2246
Texas Association
of Realtors
1115 San Jacinto Blvd
#200 Austin, TX 78707
$100,000 - $149,999.99
P.O. Box 2246 Austin,
TX 78768-2246
Texas Association
of Realtors
1115 San Jacinto Blvd
#200 Austin, TX 78707
$100,000 - $149,999.99
| Vice President of Governmental Affairs (Texas Association of Realtors) |
| Director of Legislative Affairs (Texas Association of Realtors) |
| Executive Vice President (Texas Society of Architects) |
| A light-hearted moment. There aren't many at the Lege when it's in session. |
| H O M E |