SENATE RELEASES BUDGET PROPOSAL
1-14-13

The state would spend $88.9 billion to cover services over the next two years under a preliminary budget released Monday.

SEN. MARIO GALLEGOS  HONORED BY SENATE 
01-15-13
      The Senate gathered Wednesday to remember a friend and colleague they lost over the interim.  Houston Senator Mario Gallegos passed away in October of last year due to complications from a 2007 liver transplant.  Houston Senator John Whitmire, who often referred to Gallegos as "his best friend in the Senate", brought forth the resolution honoring Gallegos' service to the state and his beloved city of Houston.  Whitmire remembered Gallegos' strong friendship and passion for issues that affected his constituents.  "We want to recognize Mario's public service, the contributions he's made, and the difference he made in our lives" said Whitmire.  "We're better Senators, better people because Mario came through these halls."
     Gallegos served as a Houston firefighter for 22 years before his election to the Texas House of Representatives in 1990.  He won election to the Senate in 1994, where he served until his death.  He was known as a strong advocate for education, firefighters and law enforcement, as well as for his alma mater, the University of Houston.   Gallegos chaired the Senate Subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, and his other committee appointments included seats on the Education and Jurisprudence Committees, as well as a Vice-Chairman ship on the Senate Redistricting Committee. 
     The seat for Gallegos' district, Senate District 6 in Houston, currently stands vacant, pending a special election to be held on January 26.
     The Senate will reconvene Wednesday, January 23rd at 11 a.m. 

83RD LEGISLATURE BEGINS SESSION
1-10-13

Legislators began the 83rd Regular Session with a much more rosy fiscal picture than when they came back to Austin in 2011.

A Message of Thanksgiving
By U.S. Sen. John Cornyn
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with our loved ones in the coming days, I am again reminded of the reasons I love Texas and her people, and why I am so proud to call the Lone Star State home.