With only a few weeks left and plenty to do, tempers are flaring in the Legislature. In the normally sedate Senate, Dallas lawmakers John Carona and Royce West cussed and poked each other in the chest before they had to be separated in a dispute over a home loan bill. A few hours earlier, a highly agitated Sen. Mario Gallegos of Houston had to be told to calm down as he yelled at another lawmaker over another bill. Senate and House budget writers got into a tiff as well, accusing each other being irresponsible. I'll only tolerate it so far.
Tensions always run high in the final days of the session.
The weather outside may be delightful, but attitudes can be frightful. On an otherwise slow news day in the Senate, the Carona-West flareup grabbed the most attention. And news of it spread around the Capitol in minutes. The Republican Carona wanted Democrat West to delay an amendment on the bill. West agreed, but only for 30 minutes.