AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The rabbi who defied Texas' same-sex marriage ban and wed a lesbian couple last week led the morning prayer in the Republican-dominated Texas House on Wednesday, catching staunch supporters of the prohibition off-guard.
Rabbi Kerry Baker didn't reference the nuptials, which are being challenged by the state attorney general, but urged lawmakers to pay special attention to people who are marginalized and to treat everyone equally.
"It's not enough to do what is good for the majority, but to do what is good for all of us," Baker said.
Baker then stood for a photo with Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, who later acknowledged he was unaware Baker was involved in the wedding, and Rep. Elliott Naishtat, the Austin Democrat who introduced Baker. Naishtat subsequently said he intentionally omitted details of Baker's role in the wedding during his introduction.
"This is a place where we believe in free speech, and that begins with a prayer each day," Straus said after being told Baker oversaw the ceremony.
Republican Rep. Cecil Bell, who cut a celebratory cake during a religious rally at the state Capitol on Tuesday to mark the voter-approved ban's 10th anniversary, also said he was unaware Baker was involved in the wedding.
Bell, who has filed legislation that would prohibit county, state and local officials from recognizing, granting or enforcing same-sex marriage licenses, said he had "bigger things to concern" himself with than to "take exception to the decision as to who will do the prayer in the morning."
He added: "I'm thankful that the body opens with a prayer."
Baker married Suzanne Bryant and Sarah Goodfriend just moments after the women were granted a marriage license by an Austin judge because Goodfriend has cancer. The women have been together for nearly 30 years and have two teenage daughters.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately asked the state Supreme Court to invalidate the marriage and block county clerks from issuing marriage licenses. The court sided with Paxton on the latter request but didn't address Bryant and Goodfriend's marriage.
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KEY TRANSPORTATION BILL ADVANCES
The Texas Senate Transportation Committee has approved a plan funneling part of the revenue from the state's vehicle sales tax into building and maintaining roads.
Sponsored by Sen. Robert Nichols, a Jacksonville Republican who chairs the committee, Wednesday's vote means the proposal can be considered by the full Senate.
The upper chamber could take up the measure as early as next week, making it one of the first pieces of legislation approved, though the House would also still have to pass it.
Taxes collected on vehicle sales currently flow into the state budget's general revenue. Nichols' plan would divert tax collections over $2.5 billion annually for road infrastructure beginning in 2018. Nichols said it could generate more than $2 billion annually.
Gov. Greg Abbott has made transportation infrastructure spending a priority, fast-tracking related bills through the Legislature.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick oversees the flow of Senate legislation and praised the plan, saying the Legislature previously had "relied too heavily on debt and tolls."
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JUDICIAL COMPLAINT FILED AFTER GAY MARRIAGE
A state lawmaker's complaint has prompted the Texas Commission on Judicial Conduct to investigate a judge who ordered the issuance of a marriage license to a same-sex couple.
Republican Rep. Tony Tinderholt filed the complaint Wednesday against state District Judge David Wahlberg, an elected Democrat.
Last week, Wahlberg ordered the Travis County clerk to issue a marriage license to a "medically fragile" lesbian couple in Austin. His order followed a probate judge's decision that Texas' 2005 voter-approved same-sex marriage ban was unconstitutional.
Tinderholt said Wahlberg violated statutes requiring that judges notify the attorney general when ruling something unconstitutional. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the state Supreme Court to declare the lesbian couple's license invalid.
After an investigation, the commission will review the results and weigh disciplinary actions.
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ON DECK
The Senate is adjourned until Monday afternoon but the House convenes at 10 a.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, the Senate Nominations Committee is discussing Gov. Greg Abbott's potentially contentious appointments of regents to the University of Texas System beginning at 8 a.m. Thursday. Among the House committees also meeting: Appropriations, Corrections and Transportation.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
"In Texas, we love to boast about how many barrels of oil we produce a year, and I'm sure will all agree beer should be no different," Fort Worth Republican Sen. Konni Burton, saluting a group of visitors from the MillerCoors Fort Worth Brewery, where they produce more than 9 million barrels of beer annually.
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