Highlights from Lewisville

The 81st Session of the Texas Legislature may well go down in history as the session where Texans ask, “We had a session?”
Some 120 county judges and commissioners gathered in Denton County were given an “insider’s report” on happenings at the Capitol, courtesy of Jim Allison, general counsel to the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas.
Allison delivered a legislative report during the opening session of the North & East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association 2009 Annual Education Conference & Business Meeting conducted May 31-June 3; June 1 was the final day of the 81st Session.
New leadership and significant committee turnover required extra time for lawmakers to become acclimated, Allison said. For example, all but three representatives were new to the House Committee on County Affairs. An extremely slow start coupled with four days spent on voter identification culminated in a sluggish session where two major agencies up for Sunset Review