While it's still early in the game to figure out which direction the Legislature may take in regard to camera enforcement of intersections, Transportation Committee Chairman Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso) said it's not too early to start gathering information on red light camera revenues, accident statistics, costs, cost-savings, etc.

That red light cameras will become an issue in the 82nd Legislature seems almost inevitable, as a ban on camera enforcement came within a hair's breadth of being attached to the TxDOT Sunset Bill in May.

Terri Hodge, the former Democratic Texas House member from Dallas recently replaced by Rep. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas), was sentenced to one year in prison today, the Dallas Morning News is reporting.

Hodge pleaded guilty to tax fraud in Feburary. Her sentence begins June 22.

“As a public official, my actions have cast a bad light on many other elected official. What I’ve done has contributed to some people’s distrust of the political system. All I can say is I am truly sorry for my mistakes," Hodge said, via the Morning News.

A press release from the David Sibley campaign lends some credit to verbal reports that Senate District 22 candidate Brian Birdwell was determined by a district judge to be eligible for appearing on the May 8 special election ballot.

Hood County's District Judge issued an advisory opinion, prompting Kirsten Voinis of the Sibley campaign to release this press statement (received at 5:26 p.m.):

“The David Sibley campaign's focus is on conservative values and winning the special election on May 8. We have not been involved with, nor do we have any interest with, any court intervention with the special election. [...]"

Nineteen additional legislators joined up with a growing group of legislators challenging the expansion of government and courting the support of Tea Party activists -- leaving just eight Republicans who have not joined.

Last week, the new organization, the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas, unveiled a list of five general principles to serve as a "Contract with Texans" in shaping legislation. The news of the group's formation came rather suddenly, and with nothing other than a Web site to inaugurate the new organization -- which went online on the one-year anniversary of the first Tea Party rally. Because of the whirlwind organizing strategy, several legislators were "unable to be reached in time for the first announcement," a press release from the group said.

(Photo courtesy: Michele Samuelson of Blue Dot Blues.) 

This morning, newly elected Reps. Eric Johnson (D-Dallas) and Van Taylor (R-Plano) were sworn in as members of the Texas House of Representatives. The ceremony made a House Higher Education hearing start nearly an hour after the posted time -- however, Rep. Taylor's sign was placed on the wall outside his yet-to-be-moved-into office in the Capitol Extension right on schedule.

A judge in Austin agreed with State Farm Insurance yesterday that it is not compelled to share any documents related to its rate hikes, as charged by the Texas Department of Insurance, the Associated Press reported. The ruling came Thursday night.

District Judge Stephen Yelenosky said the posting of such information would give State Farm's competitors unfair advantage.

Well, it looks like the entrance to the Capitol of Texas is going to look a lot like DFW International Airport -- at least according to the Governor.

Gov. Rick Perry, the lone voice of dissent on the State Preservation Board this morning, spoke against placing metal detectors and X-ray machines at the four main entrances of the Texas Capitol. The Board voted this morning to place the machines, according to the Associated Press, after hours of closed-door discussions on a DPS-recommended plan.

"The safety of our citizens is very important, but the other side ... the access of our Capitol is about to be substantially restricted. I think the public will be disappointed," Perry said, via the AP.

Fort Bend County experienced a voting machine glitch this morning, requiring poll workers to manually record voters' names and addresses, while some voters are being asked to verify via telephone which party's primary they voted in, several bloggers are reporting. The glitch, a malfunction in the county's electronic voter listing, is slowing down the process -- though some residents have reported being asked to visit the county elections office to verify votes in person. [...]

Fort Bend County (located southwest of Houston) features a district attorney's race on the GOP ballot, as well as the State Board of Education District 10 runoff between Marsha Farney and Brian Russell and the statewide Supreme Court Place 3 runoff between Debra Lehrmann and Rick Green. Fort Bend Democrats are choosing between Justice of the Peace candidates in their runoff. 

The SBOE and Supreme Court campaigns each heavily rely on communities where there are local Republican runoffs, as turnout is expected to be very low in areas in which there are no down-ballot contests.

Political observers went to bed wondering who would appear in the runoff when the four leading candidates for Supreme Court Place 3 were less than 1 percent apart from each other on March 2.

They awoke to find former Texas House member Rick Green and Fort Worth area family court Judge Debra Lehrmann leading in the race to succeed Justice Harriett O’Neill – with Green ahead by about 8,000 votes.

The mainstream media, as well as many lawyers and judges, were quick to label Green, a licensed attorney and speaker for the Christian heritage organization WallBuilders, as a Religious Right activist with no business being on the state’s highest civil court. Lehrmann, by contrast, a 22-year veteran of the bench, got vigorous back pats.
 

Travis County conservatives and pro-life activists are gearing up for a response to a proposed Austin City Council ordinance to require a controversial disclaimer on the doors of certain pregnancy resource centers.

The City Council may vote Thursday (April 8) on an ordinance to require all pregnancy clinics that do not offer abortion services or referrals to mention that fact on their doors. The ordinance, however, is down the list according to the agenda and it is unknown at this time whether or not the Council will get to the item that day. The meeting is set to begin at 10 a.m.

"We are asking all residents of Austin to please contact and urge each member of the City Council to oppose the 'NARAL Attack Ordinance,'" said Rosemary Edwards, chair of the Travis County GOP, noting a connection between the ordinance and the National Abortion Rights Action League's (NARAL) effort to pass similar laws in cities across the nation.