Icy weather dominated the news in Austin this week as Central Texas got its first real taste of winter. The cold and ice forced planners to move Gov. Perry’s inauguration ceremony from the Capitol steps to the House Chamber. The parade was cancelled, but the inaugural ball went on as planned.

While debate over rules and procedures kept the House busy, the Senate got a quick start as Lieutenant Gov. Dewhurst announced his standing committee appointments at the end of last week. In his statement, he said, "It was important to me to get the Senate organized and moving forward by appointing committees by the end of the first week of the session. After personally contacting all 31 senators late Friday evening, I thanked them in advance for the hard work they will put in over the course of the next five months for the people of Texas. I believe the lineup of these committees puts the right people in the right places to work toward making Texas a better place to live, grow a business and raise a family."

Both the House and the Senate adjourned on Thursday to return to work Monday afternoon.

Sen. Hinojosa challenges Governor to solve Texas’ health care crisis in op-ed

State Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, D-McAllen, penned an Op-Ed that ran in some newspapers in the Valley entitled “What do Arnold Schwarzenegger and Eliot Spitzer Have That Rick Perry Needs?” The column lays out several reforms to consider, writing: “Without a comprehensive initiative to solve the health care crisis, Texas will not be able to sustain a healthy economy or build a future of progress and prosperity. Other states are moving forward with bold initiatives to reduce their uninsured. If Texas wants to remain an attractive place to do business, we should, too.”

Read the Op-Ed

State senator and family physician Bob Deuell files bill on flu vaccine distribution

TAFP member, Senator Bob Deuell, M.D., R-Greenville, has filed a bill family docs will want to keep an eye on. The bill, entitled “Priority for Health Care Providers in the Distribution of Influenza Vaccine,” would direct pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesale distributors to give priority to physicians and other licensed health care providers authorized to administer flu vaccinations over retail establishments when filling orders for influenza vaccine. The bill would give the commissioner of Health and Human Services the power to adopt rules to enforce the directive.

Read the bill

Thanks to these Physicians of the Day

Before the ice shut down the Capitol, Doug Curran, M.D., Beverly Nuckols, M.D., T. David Greer, M.D., and Nilon Tallant, M.D., all served as the Physician of the Day at the State Capitol. For information on how you can join them during the session, contact Kate McCann at kmccann@tafp.org.