Legislative Look Ahead
The halls at the State Capitol have fallen silent, except for State Troopers and tourists. Photo by Nathan Bernier for KUT News.Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
A relative hush has descended on the State Capitol, after 169 days of hustle and bustle. It really won’t be that long (18 months, to be precise) till the 83rd Legislature convenes.
This session left a bad taste in the mouths of many lawmakers, largely because of a bare-bones 2012-2013 budget. But the legislators who return to Austin in January 2013 may get a worse taste in their mouths, if speculation of a bigger budget hole by House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, comes to pass.
Then again, 18 months is a long, long time in politics. There’s a national election ahead, as well as a race with newly-drawn districts for state representatives and senators. There’s also speculation about where the state’s top office holders might be when the 83rd Legislature gavels to order. KUT’s Ian Crawford and Jason Embry of the Austin American-Statesman dust off their crystal ball and take a look ahead in this week’s “Texas Political Parlor.”
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