Capitol Steps
from the office of Representative Ken Paxton
 
State Capitol Building is a Texas Treasure
 
When speaking of the Texas Capitol, people are often referring to events that are happening in the building or bills that are being debated within the building.  What we often overlook is the magnificence that is the Texas Capitol, the building itself.  Even after spending the better part of 2003 in session within the Capitol, I never cease to marvel at the beautiful architecture and the history that surrounds the building.
 
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986 for its "significant contribution to American history," the Texas Capitol is an impressive example of late 19th century public architecture. The largest in gross square footage of all state capitols, it is second in total size only to the National Capitol in Washington, D.C. Like several other state capitols, the Texas Capitol surpasses the National Capitol in height, rising almost 15 feet above its Washington counterpart.  Located near the center of Austin, the building sits on the square originally selected as the site of the Capitol of the Republic of Texas.
 
The contract to construct the present Capitol was signed on January 1, 1882. A groundbreaking ceremony one month later, on February 1, 1882, signaled the start of construction. The cornerstone, which is located at the northeast corner of the Capitol, was laid on March 2, 1885. The Capitol was nearing completion when a dedication ceremony was held on May 16, 1888, and in September of that year, the building received its first occupants. The Capitol was officially completed on December 8, 1888, six years and ten months after construction began.
 
The Capitol's exterior walls are Texas red granite from Burnet County, while the interior and dome walls are Texas limestone. The roof, encompassing 85,000 square feet, is made of copper. The original floors were hand-blocked clay tile, glass, and wood. In 1936, a new floor was installed on the first floor to commemorate the centennial of Texas Independence. This floor, which remains today, is of terrazzo--mostly Texas marble aggregate. Interior walls are adorned with nearly seven miles of wainscoting made of oak, pine, cherry, cedar, walnut, and mahogany. Door and window frames are constructed of oak or pine, except for those in the Governor's Reception Room, which are made of cherry.
 
The Texas Capitol with its historic contents and grounds requires constant specialized preservation, maintenance and repair.  The Capitol has over five miles of original wood paneling, hundreds of doors, light fixtures, windows sills, window frames and shutters with special finishes that need daily touch-ups.  The State Preservation Board was established in 1983 by the legislature to preserve and maintain the Texas Capitol and other designated state buildings.
 
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit with many people from Collin County who visited the Capitol during 2003, including school classes that came down to Austin.  I would encourage anyone who has not visited the Capitol, or has not been there in a while, to make the trip.
 
 

        Powers and Duties of the Speaker of the House
 
 In an attempt to understand why there is so much voter apathy in America, I have learned that many people believe our system of government, both at the state and federal level, is too complicated and time consuming to understand.  Therefore, over the next few weeks, I will discuss the roles of various offices in Texas.  This is particularly important in Collin County, as many residents have moved here from other states where the structure is quite different from that in Texas.  Having a better understanding of how our government works and the impact it has on everyone living in Texas will hopefully empower readers and encourage them to vote and become more involved.
 
 The presiding officer of the Texas House of Representatives is the Speaker of the House, a position of great responsibility.  Functions of the Speaker include maintaining order during floor debate, recognizing legislators who wish to speak and ruling on procedural matters, and signing all bills and joint resolutions passed by the legislature. Additionally, the Speaker serves as a member of the House of Representatives, and therefore can vote on all questions before the house.
 The other duties and responsibilities of the speaker are determined by the members of the House in the House Rules of Procedure, which are adopted by a majority vote of the members at the beginning of each regular session of the legislature. The members give the Speaker the authority to appoint the membership of each standing committee, subject to rules on seniority, and to designate the chair and vice chair for each committee. Under the rules, the Speaker is responsible for referring all proposed legislation to committee, subject to the committee jurisdictions set forth in the rules. The rules also allow the Speaker to appoint conference committees, to create select committees, and to direct committees to conduct interim studies when the legislature is not in session.
 The Speaker is elected from among the 150 members of the House of Representatives.  Like the other members, the Speaker is an elected representative from a legislative district in the state.  Each time a new legislature convenes, the Texas Constitution requires the full membership of the house to choose one of its own members to serve as Speaker.  This is in contrast to the way the presiding officer in the senate, the Lieutenant Governor, is selected.  The Lieutenant Governor presides over the senate and is elected in a statewide election.
 The current Speaker is Representative Tom Craddick from Midland.  Speaker Craddick was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1968 and has served as a member from that time.  He was elected by his peers to serve as speaker last January upon the convening of the 78th legislative session.
 For more information on the Texas Speaker of the House, you can visit his website at http://www.house.state.tx.us/speaker. 
 
Please contact me at ken.paxton@house.state.tx.us or by calling 512/463-0356 or 972/562-4543 with any comments or concerns.