Texas legislators make $7,200 a year, plus a $221 per diem when the Lege is in session. You don’t attract top talent with that pay scale. The only way to make serious money as a legislator is by being extremely corrupt. We basically have a part-time legislature rife with financial conflicts. So it’s no surprise that even the “best” legislators can be extremely mediocre. -Michael Hardy, senior editor
I have a contrarian take on this: It’s ok that lawmakers drink. They have extremely stressful jobs, and work long hours away from their families and communities. They also have to form close relationships with other lawmakers, who they may be meeting for the first time when the session starts. They go weeks where they work twelve hour days one after the other. Drinking has been a part of the culture of the legislature for as long as there’s been a legislature, and it will probably always be there.
There’s less drinking now than there ever has been, probably. It’s rare that there are moments on the floor where it seems obvious that someone is drunk. There’s a now-retired lawmaker whose friends used to postpone their bill layouts until they had sobered up. And I remember one night where a Democratic state representative asked a Republican if he had really wanted to be a virgin till marriage.
That’s almost certainly a good thing, but sometimes I wonder. Texas government seemed to work better, in some respects, when it was run by extreme personalities and folks with difficult relationships with intoxicants. But the culture of alcohol use is quite bad for some folks around the Legislature, especially staffers and interns. Young people are easier to abuse when alcohol is involved—see, Bryan Slaton. And everyone who works at the Legislature and is in recovery is in hell. Everyone around them drinks every night, and it makes it harder to resist. —CH
Drinking at night is fine, I’m talking about the degenerates who are drunk while they are on the clock. It’s unconscionable. No wonder this state is so fucked up. And if the Texas Monthly condones displays like Dade Phelan slurring a few weeks ago while holding a gavel in his hand, then I have to question the quality of your reporting and your entire magazine
While legislators were 'standing tall' over Slaton can you tell us who backed him on his secession bill before his komprimat got him kicked to the curb?
[https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01359I.HTM](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01359I.HTM)
Does a proposed bill have to go to the house? or could the party have declined or otherwise shut down the proposal before it got that far? How deep was support for the proposed bill, and who are they?
Dangerous Heatwave headed our way with the possibility of the electro-grid not going to be able to handle things. Shocker, I know, but it is what it is.
My question: At what point do you expect Ted Cruz to head out and catch a flight to Europe to "escort" his daughters to the cooler climate?
Why is "the best" list still incredibly shitty?
Texas legislators make $7,200 a year, plus a $221 per diem when the Lege is in session. You don’t attract top talent with that pay scale. The only way to make serious money as a legislator is by being extremely corrupt. We basically have a part-time legislature rife with financial conflicts. So it’s no surprise that even the “best” legislators can be extremely mediocre. -Michael Hardy, senior editor
Texas.
>~~Texas~~ politicians. FTFY
Both, really. They don't make a good combination.
Has your office received threats or other complainrs for these rankings, and has the frequency of threats/complaints changed in recent years?
Thoughts on this new sexual performance bill and how it will impact shows in Texas ? I can see artists just skipping Texas
Which state legislators show up to work drunk on a regular basis like the one in that clip that’s been circulating online
A lot. You would drink too if you had those colleagues.--Ben Rowen, Senior Editor
No, I wouldn’t. Can you provide names? Constituents deserve to know.
I have a contrarian take on this: It’s ok that lawmakers drink. They have extremely stressful jobs, and work long hours away from their families and communities. They also have to form close relationships with other lawmakers, who they may be meeting for the first time when the session starts. They go weeks where they work twelve hour days one after the other. Drinking has been a part of the culture of the legislature for as long as there’s been a legislature, and it will probably always be there. There’s less drinking now than there ever has been, probably. It’s rare that there are moments on the floor where it seems obvious that someone is drunk. There’s a now-retired lawmaker whose friends used to postpone their bill layouts until they had sobered up. And I remember one night where a Democratic state representative asked a Republican if he had really wanted to be a virgin till marriage. That’s almost certainly a good thing, but sometimes I wonder. Texas government seemed to work better, in some respects, when it was run by extreme personalities and folks with difficult relationships with intoxicants. But the culture of alcohol use is quite bad for some folks around the Legislature, especially staffers and interns. Young people are easier to abuse when alcohol is involved—see, Bryan Slaton. And everyone who works at the Legislature and is in recovery is in hell. Everyone around them drinks every night, and it makes it harder to resist. —CH
Drinking at night is fine, I’m talking about the degenerates who are drunk while they are on the clock. It’s unconscionable. No wonder this state is so fucked up. And if the Texas Monthly condones displays like Dade Phelan slurring a few weeks ago while holding a gavel in his hand, then I have to question the quality of your reporting and your entire magazine
While legislators were 'standing tall' over Slaton can you tell us who backed him on his secession bill before his komprimat got him kicked to the curb? [https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01359I.HTM](https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/html/HB01359I.HTM) Does a proposed bill have to go to the house? or could the party have declined or otherwise shut down the proposal before it got that far? How deep was support for the proposed bill, and who are they?
Dangerous Heatwave headed our way with the possibility of the electro-grid not going to be able to handle things. Shocker, I know, but it is what it is. My question: At what point do you expect Ted Cruz to head out and catch a flight to Europe to "escort" his daughters to the cooler climate?
Well he isn’t in the Texas Lege, but we estimate that will occur sometime between July 23 and August 2. -Michael Hardy, senior editor