Rep. Stuart Spitzer says he was a 29-year-old virgin. He wants more Texans to be like him.
The first-term Republican from Kaufman successfully amended the House version of the state budget to shift $3 million from programs to prevent HIV to abstinence education initiatives, saying: "My goal is for everyone to be abstinent until they are married."
A physician, Spitzer met his wife Shari while doing his residency and volunteered: "I've only had sex with one woman in my life, and that's my wife."
When Houston Democratic Rep. Harold Dutton inquired from the floor, "Is that the first woman you asked?" Spitzer responded that that didn't seem to him like an appropriate question — and his colleagues agreed since a normally routine motion to have the debate recorded in writing failed.
Though awkward, the amendment was a win for Spitzer — but it may yet get removed from the final budget approved by both the House and Senate.
Here are other issues and people that had strong weeks — and didn't — in Texas politics.
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WHAT'S UP
University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall
A grand jury declined to indict Hall on criminal charges related to the release of confidential student records. The investigation centered on Hall requesting thousands of documents while investigating UT System administrators, including Bill Powers, president of the flagship Austin campus. In clearing Hall, however, jurors didn't give him much to cheer about, writing, "We are appalled at the regent's unaccountable and abusive behavior."
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WHAT'S DOWN
Tea Party Provocateurs
The House spent 18 hours debating its budget — but not because of the floor shenanigans some insurgent conservative Republicans promised. Bedford Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland predicted bruising verbal battles, but his biggest outburst was an impassioned and ultimately unsuccessful call to end state funding for eradication programs designed to control Texas' feral hog population. Another tea party favorite, Mineola Rep. Bryan Hughes, tried and failed to defund top light rail projects. Both Hughes and Stickland ultimately voted for the budget, which passed 141-5.
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Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas
The word "education" was misspelled in an amendment to the House budget Davis proposed. Typos can happen to anyone, but Davis quickly deflected responsibility. "I think that reflects who we've hired here," she said, blaming her legislative staff.
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WHAT'S IN-BETWEEN
School Voucher Plans
The Senate Education Committee has yet to approve to the full chamber voucher bills allowing families to get state funding to pull their children out of struggling public schools and send them to private or religious alternatives. While there's still time, many thought it would have happened by now — especially since Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has championed the idea. Unlike last session, the House didn't include an amendment in its budget declaring that public money should stay with public schools. But that's because Democrats say they already have enough support among rural and moderate Republicans to ensure a Senate-backed plan will never clear the lower chamber. Voucher plans must still make it out of committee and the Senate before they can take their chances in the House, though.
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