Texas State Capitol

1. Texas State Capitol

2. Buying Legislators, Judges & Others • Read this article about campaign money corruption http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/18/us/politics/a-campaign-inquiry-in-utah-is-the-watchdogs-worst-case.html?emc=edit_th_20140318&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=62589566&_r=0

3. Election wars by the few to control interests of the many • Gov. Perry vetoed a legislature bill that would have required equal pay for Texas women. Was it the women (who get 22-26 cents on average for doing same work as a man) who demanded he kill the bill? Did the people rise up and demand he kill it in the great interest of the great majority of Texans? This gave cover to state legislators to vote for the bill knowing their buddy the governor would kill it because of money influence on a governor not running for re-election. http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2013/nov/25/senfronia-thompson/macys-other-retailers-asked-rick-perry-veto-equal-/ (This hyperlink news story is on the exam) • Do you have the power to contact the governor to get a bill signed or killed? Why not? This is what happens when money controls politics: the little guy gets screwed every time.  These are some of the same people who fought the Equal Rights for Women US constitutional amendment and successfully killed it twice.

4. Election wars by the few to control interests of the many • Elections by the People? Or election wars by the 1% against the 99%? Or is it perverted democracy? It is even worse than that. • Watch this 18 minute TED talk carefully (take notes – on exam) http://www.ted.com/talks/lawrence_lessig_we_the_people_and_the_republic_we_must_reclaim.html (only 132 billionaires-millionaires contributed a majority of all money given to all Congressional candidates nation-wide?) The statistics of how few in the USA decide which candidates have a chance of winning are staggering. THAT is why Congress does not address OUR concerns because first they must satisfy the wealthy funders to have a chance. And when they get elected they must keep the funders happy or they lose elections. • While this is about Congress, it is WORSE at the State of Texas level because there are almost NO restrictions on money.

5. Best source of information • How to get most current comparative Legislature information? • http://www.csg.org/policy/publications/bookofthestates.aspx Legislative policy decisions.Did you know that a study by the Citizens for Tax Justice & Institute on Taxation & Economic Policy ranked Texas’s tax system among 10 most regressive tax states in the USA? Texas governments tax poor families at 12.2% of their incomes, middle class families at 7.6% and the richest 1% at only 3.3%. Texas is a low tax state from the perspective of wealthy Texans who lobbied legislators with money to get it that way & they fight to keep low minimum wages on theory that the more money they make, trickle down benefits all society. Poor & middle class argue give us a bigger share (such as higher minimum wage) and we will spend to create jobs. Do you prefer the wealthy have more money or that you have more? Life is about choices here because the bills have to be paid for services.

6. Capitol Rotunda

7. Texas Capitol • Begun 1882 • Finished 1888 • 309.8' high • 22.5' higher than • U.S. Capitol. • Role of convicts

8. Limited Regular Session • Viewed as amateurs – not professionals. • Constitutional authorization issues.

9. This is a 2011 Texas Legislature House debate over the budget slashing to eliminate many things Texans enjoy, including education and infants and children program cuts, because of a bad economy and due to mismanagement by the Legislature that has not been in session for 2 years of economic neglect. Really think that is efficient & effective and then we elect people who do not take the job serious for the limited 140 days they are in session? Come on, we need reform.

10. Problems with limited time? • Mistakes made considering 6,000 bills in 140 days once every 2 years. We have a $10-$20 billion budget deficit in 2010? Is the Legislature meeting to fix it? When will it meet? When it does meet think about the compressed time! Remember constitution problems? • 77th in 2001. $109.7 billion (Democrat) • 78th in 2003. $118 billion (Republican) • 79th in 2005 $139.4! (Republican) • 80th in 2007 $152 billion (Republican) • 81st in 2009 $171 billion (Republican) • Deciding 200 agencies and thousands of programs in 2 weeks (12 days of work/9 hours a day/109 hours)! • Decisions at rate of $1,568,807,339 billion ($1.57) per hour, or $26.1 million per minute!

11. Texas Special Sessions • How many states allow legislature to work when desired? • In Texas, under what conditions can the legislature meet?

12. Special Sessions Since 1990

13. Legislature characteristics • Bicameral power • Committees • Quorum

14. Legislature characteristics • Legislature journals. • State senates in U.S. range in size

15. Legislature characteristics • State houses in U.S. range in size: • 40 in Alaska to 400 in New Hampshire. • Texas House has 150 Members, each representing about 165,000.

16. Redistricting • Where is the legal authority to redraw political boundary lines? Partisan gerrymandering where party in power chooses voters rather than the opposite. It is THE cause of excessive legislature partisanship and gridlock today.

17. 2010 Census • 2010 US POP = 310,597,679 • US House(435) = 1/714,017 & Texas has 36 districts now but gained 4 more. • 2010 TX POP = 24,782,302 • TX House(150) = 1/165,215 or TX Senate(31) = 1/799,429

18. Redistricting • States redraw political boundary lines. Next census will be when? What is at stake? When will the Texas Legislature redistrict? • Court cases – Baker v. Carr 1962: Right to federal court. Reynolds v. Simms 1964 & Westbury v. Sanders 1964: One man one vote. Davis v. Bandemer 1986: Partisan fairness. Thornburg v. Gingles 1986: Racial fairness. • When we segregate to concentrate like minded people, (by ideology, race or anything other criteria) it becomes easier to demonize other people who are not like us. On exam http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/video/video-by-the-people/13612/ about new California citizen redistricting, and a way to end partisan gridlock.

19. Pay • All Texas Senators, Representatives and the Speaker and Lieutenant Governor are each paid what? • What issues are involved?

20. $116,208 California $79,500 New York $79,650 Michigan $69,647 Pennsylvania $57,619 Illinois $53,380 Massachusetts $56,261 Ohio $49,000 New Jersey $45,569 Wisconsin $38,400 Oklahoma $31,932 Florida $34,800 Delaware $33,556 Washington $31,561 Missouri $31,509 Maryland $31,140 Minnesota $30,000 Colorado $65,000 Virgin Islands $60,000 Puerto Rico $7,200 Texas $100 New Hampshire $0 New Mexico only mileage & per diem. http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=179978 Legislative salaries vary in 2008

21. Per diem • What is per diem? • How much does Texas pay? • It is against the law to buy real estate with campaign contributions or per diem (cannot en-richen yourself with taxpayer money). • But Members have subsidized the purchase of second homes in Austin by paying their spouses “rent” using public money. • One clever senator had his real estate wife buy a $238,000 condo across from the capitol (in her name), then he used this per diem & campaign contributions money to make rent payments to his wife (both lived there), paid off the $238,000 loan with this tax money, then sold the condo and deposited the profits into their joint checking account. Rent to own to enrich politician’s family.

22. Campaign fundraising • Campaign fundraising issues. • Gifts & awards if reported. • Dallas State Representative “gift” from special interest with interest before his committee - not detailed on ethics report. • Trips ok if educational or fact finding.

23. Watchdogs • See watch dogs for their views of campaign contribution & other conflicts of interests. • Texans for Public Justice • http://www.tpj.org • Common Cause • www.commoncause.org • Center for Public Integrity • http://www.publicintegrity.org

24. Money in politics? • The question is: what do we legally allow interest groups, lobbyists, individuals, & decision makers to do? Is bribery ok? No, is a felony crime. Why? • Is it right that a wealthy individual, in the name of “free speech” can influence an election’s outcome because he has the financial ability to do so? ALL political parties are guilty of this. • Consider Republican contributors James Leininger, San Antonio who spent $2.5 million on 5 Texas state legislative races, and homebuilder Bob Perry, Houston, spent $3.8 million on state legislative races because each individually wanted specific policy enacted. (Perry wants tax money to go to Christian schools). • 2008: 2 coal companies sued each other in West Virginia. One side spends $3 million on judge races, elected friend to Supreme Court, who then provided crucial decision in his favor to win $50 million against other company. Bought judge refused to recues self. • They were able to elect the “right” legislators and defeat the “wrong” ones. Can you do that? Unfair influence not matter who does it?

25. How improve government? • Until you find a way to get money out of politics, you will never harness the tiger of corruption. • http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71358.html story about how a supreme court decision can permit even one wealthy individual to prop up a political candidate, which buys an election and does nothing to show broad based support. • How do we protect those “speech” rights adequately while preventing “actual” or “perceived” corruption to protect the people and to ensure honest government? • Prohibit acceptance of anything of value based on the code required by federal law officers: • “I will accept nothing, even of the slightest value, including favored treatment of any kind, from anyone on my own behalf or behalf of another person, recognizing that acceptance may result in a conflict or give the appearance of a conflict with my official duties or in my effectiveness as an elected leader.” • In 2009, Obama struck a blow for better government with his executive order banning political appointees from accepting gifts from lobbyists. In 2001 he is extending ban to all 2.6 million career federal workers. The ban, will end the current exception that lets a lobbyist provide a worker up to $50 worth of gifts, including meals, entertainment and invitations to events, each year.

26. Retirement • How is their retirement determined? • This story is related http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/us/politics/perrys-on-the-job-retirement-lifts-pension-perk-from-shadows.html?_r=1&pagewanted=2&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha24 • http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-10-11-1A-state-lawmakers-pump-pensions.htm

27. Cost of Campaigns to win office? • Texas senate district costs minimum of $562,000 and as much as $2 million. • Texas house district costs minimum of $157,000 and as much as $300-400,000 but have cost over $1 million.

28. Speaker Straus Takes Oath

29. Membership & requirements? House floor & gallery Texas House of Representatives

30. Term & Office Budget • Terms? • Budget for office, postage, & staff salaries? • Effect is can hire few staffers to man both district & capitol offices. Staffers are very busy with case work, causing the Member to rely on lobbyists for research. • Legislative Council issues?

31. Speaker of the US House

32. Speaker of the US House

33. Speaker of the US House

34. Speaker of the US House

35. House Speaker • Speaker’s job? • This is an EDS commercial called cowboys herding cats. It’s but is also like herding Texas legislators. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk7yqlTMvp8&NR=1 • How elected? • Secret vs public ballot. • Craddick vs. Straus?

36. House Speaker • Requires Members to 1st pass House Rules before creating committees & assigning Members to committees & the choosing all chairs & vice chairs. Do not vote against! • Refers all legislation to committees. • Maintains order

37. House Speaker • Recognizes Members wishing to speak. • Rules on procedural matters. • Must sign all bills & resolutions. • May vote on any issue.

38. Ability to Keep Power! • Speaker Billy Clayton served 4 terms 1975-1983. • Speaker Gib Lewis served 5 terms 1983-1993. • Pete Laney has served 5 terms 1993 to 2003. • Tom Craddick elected 2003 as 1st Republican since Civil War & deposed & humiliated in 2009 by … • Freshman Joe Straus (Republican) 2009 –

39. Presiding Officers • Speaker and Lt. Governor are the most powerful politicians in state. • Can decide if legislation will live or die! Absolute veto power! No override! • No matter how badly others want it, including Texas’ weak governor.

40. Presiding Officers • These leaders have influence over others Members' decisions and interest groups. • These leaders have ability to raise huge sums of campaign contributions and to steer interest groups to support candidates he favors and to oppose others.

41. LBB • Leaders chairs the LBB (Legislative Budget Board). • Speaker & Lt. Gov alternate as chair and vice chair. • They appoint 4 Members each & decide all spending.

42. Texas House & Taxes … • Why must all tax bills originate in the House?

43. Impeachment Accusation • House impeachment responsibilities are to accuse by simple majority vote!

44. Texas Senate Floor

45. Texas State Senate • 31 Members of Texas Senate must be: • U.S. citizens • 26 yrs old • Texas resident for 5 years • Resident of district for 1 year.

46. Senate • Members have 4 year terms of office • Unlimited office expense budget. Why? $37,000/month for staff salaries & travel. • Public, interest groups, and lobbyists protested bigger staff budgets. Why?

47. Lt. Governor • David Dewhurst – how got there? • Lt. Governor is the presiding officer of the Senate, is not a Senator, and is elected state-wide like the Governor. • Requires Members to 1st pass Senate Rules before creating committees & assigning Members to committees & the choosing all chairs & vice chairs. Do not vote against! • Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, is president pro tem

48. Lt. Governor & Me

49. Lt. Governor & Me

50. Lt. Governor • Appoints all committee chairs & members who control legislation. • Recognizes senators wishing to speak, which determines order of legislation. • Makes all major decisions regarding legislation & its flow. • Rules on procedural matters.