With the motto of “Why should Texas Monthly have all the fun?”, Harold Cook and Ted Delisi have put together their own Ten Best Legislators list, with the twist being that Cook picked the Republicans and Delisi picked the Dems. It’s an interesting and thoughtful list, but I’d bet their Ten Worst list, with each picking from their own party this time, would be a lot more fun. What say you, fellas?
In related news, as BOR notes, all four of the freshmen that had been endorsed by the TexBlog PAC were honored as outstanding members by different groups, and Houston freshman Rep. Kristi Thibaut was named House freshman of the year by the House Democratic Caucus. Click on for her press release on the subject. Congrats to all the winners!
As the 81st Session of the Texas Legislature draws to an end, House Democrats gathered around the front microphone to honor Rep. Kristi Thibaut (D – Houston) as Freshman of the Year.
“This is a wonderful surprise,” said Rep. Thibaut. “I worked so hard this session to pass meaningful legislation for the people in my district and the state. This honor is the icing on the cake for my first legislative session, and I am humbled by this recognition from my colleagues.”
During her freshman tenure, Thibaut, who represents District 133 in West Houston, introduced legislation providing major foreclosure reform to help the vulnerable homeowners during these difficult economic times. Her legislative agenda also included a bill that mandates school districts to notify teachers of their right to assault leave should they be assaulted on a school campus, a bill to lower utility rates, and legislation to freeze college tuition for four years.
Thibaut is honored to have worked in a bipartisan effort on the state budget, which overwhelmingly passed the Texas House early in the session. It provides $182.3 billion to fund vital state services over the next two years and includes a $1.9 billion increase for public schools, a $1.2 billion boost in funding for colleges and universities, $450 million for cancer research and $2 billion in bonds for new roads.
“As we gavel to a close in Austin, I look back over the past 140 days and I am very proud of what we were able to accomplish. I am very excited about returning home to my family in Houston, and ready to work closely with the people of District 133 on our community issues.”