Pics in this post were taken by myself and members of my household throughout the legislative session. I think they capture the theme quite well. Please excuse the blurriness in some - cell phone cameras only do so much.

After 2005's Summer of the Special Session(s), I think it's perfectly natural for Texas political junkies to take about a five minute breather when the gavel falls on sine die before they begin wondering if the governor is going to call everyone back to address some major issue.

SB 855 fell victim to the "chubbing" (unofficial filibuster) perpetrated by House Democrats over the course of Memorial Day weekend. A prescient move by Senator Carona has, however, saved the "local option" gas tax - he had it put on to HB 300, the TXDOT (Texas Dept. of Transportation) sunset bill that was debated in the Senate earlier this week.

A lot of bloggers and various pundits have begun talking about "what's next" in terms of the Tea Party movement. As of this morning, I've received four Facebook invites to events planned for July 4 and Sept. 12. Rallies at state capitols, county courthouses, and of course, Washington D.C.

A bill preventing appraisers from skipping over foreclosed property passed the House this week (CSHB 1038 by Paxton). This is a great move, as it helps ensure that all available information is being used in appraisals. From the committee analysis:

The Free Market Foundation is alerting Texans of their liberty  being attacked. Right now in every public school in Texas, students begin each day by saying the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas Pledge, and then observing a moment of silence.

I think most Texans always felt that a moment of silence was a good compromise for those students who wished to pray and those who did not.

The UT College Republicans and the University Democrats are getting together tonight to oppose tuition deregulation, a policy enacted by the Texas legislature in 2003 that allows public universities sole discretion in setting tuition prices.  They are hosting State Senators Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) and Dan Patrick (R-Houston) to discuss their efforts to overturn the policy this legislative session.

It may come as no surprise to anyone who followed former state representative Fred Hill's career in the Texas House.  As chairman of the (now defunct) Local Ways and Means Committee, Hill saw to it that legislation protecting citizens from greedy local governments never saw the light of day.  Champion of organizations like the Texas Municipal League and the Texas Association of Counties, Hill argued that he was for local control - that is, for local government control, and not necessarily putting c