I have a few minutes to catch up on this since I got out of class early.
The House gives us a prayer from Rev. John Evans of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The Seminary is across the street from The University of Texas at Austin’s northern border.

Great and gracious God, mighty ruler of our world and all the principalities and powers within our world, you are our hope when we seek you. You are our joy when we find you. As this legislature convenes, grant to those gathered both a hopeful seeking and a joyful finding of your will for the citizens and leaders of the State of Texas as now these servants go about the important work before them.
We give you our thanks for the hopeful vision and joyful outcomes you can bring, even when the pathways of policy and procedure are muddled or dimmed by human frailty. As now we look toward the unfolding new year and new session, we ask that you grant this assembled body a due sense of dependence on you and a lively sense of your presence with them as new opportunities turn their attention to this state’s future.
Creator God, for this rich land you have given to us as an inheritance; for opportunities we now have to build bridges of compassion and justice for our children and citizens across this state, nation, and world; for our great freedom and power entrusted to us to choose those who govern and exercise human concern; for the fidelity and faithfulness of these gathered servants of our state; and for occasions to spread love and grace, even through laws; we do raise our hearts and voices in praise and thanksgiving.
For words of encouragement that find us when our flame is low; for helping hands that reach us when the load is more than we can bear; for retrievable insights that come to mind when two ways open and we must decide; we give you heartfelt thanks.
Be present and active in this place with each one here today, even as you have promised you will, for you always keep your promises. Amen.

Rev. Barry Chinn of the Woodlawn Baptist Church in Austin led the Senate in prayer:

Our Father, we gather here from the corners of this vast state we call Texas, from El Paso to Texarkana, from Laredo to Pampa, to do the noble work of democracy. Thank You for this day, it is a gift. Thank You for colleagues, friends, and family, they are a treasure. Thank You for our work, it is a trust. We pray for the Senators who meet here today and the challenges that are before them. Grant them a wisdom from beyond themselves. Give them the courage they will need to marshal the resources of mind and muscle to make tomorrow even brighter than today. Amen.

This time the House won the word-count battle 312 to 106.

I want to make it a running feature of my site to display the prayers said in the Texas House and Senate during the 140-day session this year. I am a couple of days behind but both houses are taking a break until January 24th to allow a group to head to see President Bush place his hand on the bible again in Washington, DC.
On the opening day of the legslative session, both houses started with a prayer. For the House, Msgr. Larry J. Droll of St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Midland, TX gave the following prayer:

God, our Heavenly Father, we acknowledge your presence in our assembly, and we place ourselves in your hands.
We give you praise, honor, and glory for creating us and giving us life. We thank you for our families and friends; we thank you for the resources you provide for our livelihood. We are grateful for gathering us here today and offering us the opportunity to glorify you by serving one another in the State of Texas.
Through the prophet Micah, you have told us what is required of us: “To do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6.8). Jesus has called upon us to love you with our whole being and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22.37-39). We confidently ask you to grant us the grace to fulfill these commands. We humbly ask you to forgive us when we have failed to do so.
We ask you, Heavenly Father, to bless with your spirit everyone involved with the work of government in the Seventy-Ninth Legislature. Grant all of our leaders, members, and staff your gifts of wisdom and understanding, counsel, and courage that we might discern what will best serve our citizens, always being mindful of the poor and most vulnerable.
Lord God, we all yearn for peace and security in our world. We pray that you will bless us with hearts and minds open to understanding and reconciliation. We pray that everyone in our world will experience your presence in the midst of difficulties and your support in the midst of the storms that sometimes confront us. We make this prayer, Lord God, with confidence in your providential care for us all. Amen.

I wonder if those in the House felt shafted by the 283-word prayer after hearing about the Senate’s 713-word prayer by Rev. Manson Johnson of the Holman Street Baptist Church in Houston:

God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has by Thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in Thy path, we pray. Almighty God, we beseech You and Your mercy with humble hearts on this historical day. We are aware that life and all its activities are in Your hand.
We invoke Your power of wisdom and grace upon this Senate Chamber of the great State of Texas. The agenda before this body of lawmakers during this session is filled with issues and items that warrant Your wisdom. The tasks of negotiating and resolving life-changing matters are ever before You and this Senate Chamber. We summon You and Your wisdom to intervene among the thoughts of these honorable gentlemen and honorable women who are elected to carry out the mountainous charge of their oath. Give them the strength, the know-how, the patience, and the integrity to know what is the right thing to do for the entire body of the great State of Texas. In their weakest hour make them strong.
It is evident that God has raised you, the Senate Members, up to guide our great State of Texas for the 79th legislative session. You, indeed, have come to the kingdom of Austin, Texas, for such a time as this. A time when positive, progressive, and creative leadership is needed from the northern Panhandle to the southern tip of the Gulf coastline; from Beaumont and East Texas to El Paso and West Texas and interiorly into Central Texas and the Hill Country.
We bless this Senate Chamber for a very special anointing to come upon you that energizes you with power from above to know what to do, when to do it, and how to do it. We bless this Senate Chamber with an anointing unlike any other previous session, because the times in which you will lead shall require it. We bless each of you to be endowed with the gift of supernatural wisdom so that you may be able to face the unique challenges that inevitably will arise.
We bless you for the favor of God to rest upon you that you may excel in all you put your hands to. We bless you for divine favor among each other as colleagues so that you may see your agenda successfully negotiated on behalf of those you represent. We bless you for your vision for the great State of Texas and America to come to pass with bipartisan cooperation so that all our citizens of the great State of Texas may dwell in health, peace, and prosperity. We bless you with an abundant harvest of blessings from heaven’s window. We bless you that God’s angels be with you and keep you safe and secure.
We bless you to be aware that God has raised up an army of very powerful, skilled intercessors to pray for you and hold your hands up so that you may triumph over every foe.
We bless you for the peace of God to rule your heart and your mind. We speak that the peace of God prevail in the Senate Chamber of Texas so that your sleep may be sweet and that you rise refreshed and renewed in God’s mercies morning after morning.
We speak forth a blessing to take place on this Austin, Texas, hill. We speak that a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation prevail in spite of predicted division and strife, that a new day will dawn, a powerful spirit of revival will invade the halls of the Texas Legislature, a spirit that will return our state to brotherhood and dignity.
We bless you, Governor Rick Perry, we bless you, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. May God give you the inner strength to be a shining example of God-fearing men of integrity and wisdom. We speak that God give you an open heaven so, when you pray your effectual, fervent prayers shall ensure swift intervention from on high. May your leadership inspire the people to help make Texas a greater state and a blessed place to live.
Almighty God, we invoke Your blessings upon our troops that defend our country. Bless our Commander in Chief, President George W. Bush. God bless America and God bless the great State of Texas. Amen.

Jorge left a comment on my last entry about the 1.50/100 rate tax cap and how we aren’t being capped at that.
The cap isn’t as clear as everyone, including me, make it out to be. Currently school district property tax rates are capped at 1.50/100 for maintenance and operations. They are, however, allowed to exceed that via the “interest and sinking” segment of district property taxes. The I&S segment covers long-term debt such as bonds. Looking at the Travis County Tax Assessor’s site of current tax rates, it appears that every school district within the county is at the 1.50/100 cap, except Pflugerville ISD at 1.490/100. PISD has the largest I&S segment making it the highest district property tax rate in Travis County.
That’s your Texas property tax lesson law lesson for the day.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that the Texas Senators have agreed to levy a $1/$100 statewide property tax, as well as expand the franchise tax, in order to help save public education in the state.
Currently, since the so-called Robin Hood plan was struck down, schools are financed by a locally-administered property tax that is capped at $1.50/$100.
It will be interesting to see how the state plans send money back to the districts. The initial problem with school financing was that rich areas would bring in a very large amount for public education while poor areas would bring in a very low dollar amount. The Robin Hood plan took money from the richer areas and sent it to the poorer areas. My guess is that the statewide tax would do the same thing in effect, however, it would not be “taking money away”.
I do need to do more research on the statewide property tax. I remember one of the arguments used by those opposed to the Robin Hood plan was that it in-effect created a statewide property tax. I cannot remember if they argued that it was unconstitutional or simply not allowed by law. If it was unconstitutional, we’ll be looking at a fun year as the voters prepare to decide it in the polls.
In either case, we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves. The session is only a couple of days old.

My first post of the year is tweleve days late. In that time, I’ve been a little bit of everywhere- Wichita Falls, Dallas, Austin, Houston and Wichita, KS.
Wichita Falls: I was in Wichita Falls for the bulk of the break for the usual family and friends’ meetings. The main thing I learned: three weeks is too long to be at home.
Dallas: I spent a short 24 hours in Dallas celebrating New Years’ with an old high school friend.
Houston: Another short trip, around 36 hours, visiting Vanessa. Off-topic, I declared my “Texas” hotdog as the Texas Chili Dog from James Coney Island in The Woodlands.
Wichita, KS: A weekend with delegates from six of the Big 12 schools. The Veritas Conference, as it was called, was the first in bringing together the Catholic Centers from the various Big 12 schools.
Austin: Home!
In the next week, I’ll be preparing for the semester starting on Tuesday.