This session is quickly becoming a very hectic situation. The House is now meeting on Fridays, committee meetings run into the wee hours of the morning, and the budget has yet to be passed agreeably. I have been planning on writing about the budget for some time now and I will get to it eventually but it is a monster with a million tentacles and very easy to get tangled in.
The day-to-day hasn’t changed so much as it has increased in momentum. Our office sees hundreds of visitors, the capitol sees thousands. I have to check the mail twice a-day just to keep on top of things and forget reading all of the legislative clippings, bills, and information that makes it across your desk on the daily. As much as it’s been getting busier I still thoroughly enjoy it.
Monday night a benefit for TLIP was held at which Rep. Senfronia Thompson was roasted. This woman is a pistol. The event was fun and lighthearted amidst the chaos that is work.
I am also looking into summer internship and job opportunities, taking the GRE, and researching graduate programs. Life is definitely moving fast.
In other news:
A New and Exciting Age of Space Travel
Sparks fly on legislation to promote “a new and exciting age of space travel.” (Rep. Tyron Lewis, R-Odessa)
Texas Legislators approved a bill on Monday which gives thrust to the commercial space travel industry. The bill limits the liability that face private space travel companies. This piece of legislation seeks to promote the development of a commercial space flight industry in Texas by clarifying that any persons aboard a space vehicle launched from Texas will assume the risk of death or injury if a space flight entity discloses the risks involved and the persons partaking in the space flight signs a waiver. Companies will remain liable for injury caused by gross negligence or damage to nonparticipants. In lieu of House Bill 245, the identical Senate Bill 115 faces a final procedural vote and is expected to be sent to Gov. Rick Perry this week.
Commercial spaceports are already in the process of being built including a spaceport being built in West Texas by a company owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
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The Internet is a Girl’s World
Tech Crunch recently posted an article written by guest writer Aileen Lee about the ways in which women rule the interwebs. With all of the crazy statistics about how fast consumer internet services and e-commerce are expanding it’s no wonder we are seeing a generation of exponential growth for web companies in relation to both user adoption and revenue. Lee lets us in on a little secret unnoticed by most. It’s that female users are the main driving force behind this techno-boom. When it comes to socializing and shopping, women not only rule the world but they also rule the internet. Check out the blog article and see for yourself how large of a consumer base women are and the reason we rule the internet.
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Sonogram Bill: Update
A compromise has been struck in the Senate State Affairs Committee between the stringent House sonogram legislation and a more flexible Senate draft on Tuesday. As we all know (should know) by now this legislation requires doctors to do a sonogram before performing an abortion. After an intense standoff in which neither chamber was willing to make changes the Senate committee approved a compromise which restores an exemption for women who are victims of sexual assault or incest or in cases where the fetus is fatally deformed. Also exempted under this compromise are women who reside in rural counties from waiting 24 hours between receiving a sonogram and having an abortion. Still required however is a requirement for the woman to be shown a sonogram hear a fetal heart beat and listen to a detailed description of the fetus. So, what’s next for this emergency legislation? The full Senate must now consider the compromise before sending it to the House and ultimately landing on the desk of Gov. Rick Perry.
always,
davilin.marie
