Good day good citizens of Texas. My friend Representative Aaron Pena tells me that this may be the first blog entry by a Republican member of the Texas Legislature. The Texas Legislature is a very unique place. Unlike in DC - where the Democrats sit on one side and the Republicans on the other - here we all sit together. And issues like Committee assignments and even office and parking spaces, which in DC and many state legislatures are based on party, in Texas are chosen based on the member's seniority.
Because of this spirit of bi-partisanship, we're usually able to look past our differences and toward doing what's right for the people of Texas. We still have heated and passionate debates, as indeed we should. But I think it's telling that in spite of the partisanship and division that makes the newspapers, most of the bills brought to the floor pass by wide margins with support of members from both parties.
On a personal level, I consider it a tremendous honor to be a member of the Texas Legislature. On one hand, it's a part time job that pays $600 a month - nothing to get too egotistical about. But at the same time, getting to cast these votes that will shape the future of Texas is a big deal - a real blessing from the Lord.
My thanks to Aaron for starting this blog and letting me participate. I look forward to seeing what others have to say.
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6 comments:
Rep. Hughes - thanks for your thoughtful post!
$600/month? Sign. Me. Up.
Rep. Hughes--Welcome to the Internet! We hope you'll encourage other Republicans to post and give us unfiltered commentary and opinions.
glad to read all posts, even if you don't care about healthcare. j/k.
Great to hear from you Rep. Hughes - and thanks for explaining the whole bipartisanship thing. Folks who aren't up there don't understand -- 10-15% of the votes are about the Lobby or the next election, but the rest of the time y'all are pretty good about looking for common ground.
I'm glad to see Rep. Strama give you credit for your redistricting vote, but to me, I'll always remember you and John Mabry CRUSHING SB 945 (gathering biometric facial recognition data from TX drivers) in 2003. I still smile when I think about that. A great day, indeed.
Now you need to get your own blog -- as I Tyler boy, I know for sure y'all have the Internets out in Mineola for your constituents to read. $600 isn't much for legislating, but it's fine blogging pay!
Best,
Scott Henson
Representative Hughes and former Representative Mabry were classmates at Baylor Law, so they probably have the goods on each other. Nevertheless, they are both fine Texans.
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