Welcome to the 81st Texas Legislature. The opening bell hasn't even rung yet, and punches are already being thrown. Quorum Report is reporting that in a closed-door caucus meeting this morning, Senate Republicans are hoping to suspend the two-thirds rule when it comes to votes on the issues of redistricting and voter ID, both of which could be hot-button issues this session. Redistricting will be vital to Republicans clinging to their majority, especially in the House, where their edge is down to only 76-74. Voter ID nearly caused fistfights last session. The GOP argues that requiring voters to present photo ID at the voting booth is essential to preventing voter fraud. Democrats respond that the only type of fraud a photo ID would prevent – voter impersonation – is virtually nonexistent, and such legislation is really designed to disenfranchise women, the elderly, the poor, and minorities: groups more likely to lack photo ID and more likely to vote Democrat. The two-thirds rule is a longstanding Senate tradition requiring support of two-thirds of the chamber to bring a bill to the floor, which promotes finding consensus on legislation before it ever gets there. Currently, 12 of the 31 senators are Democrats, enough to block votes on any issue on which they unite.

As the legislature gets ready for the 81st Session to be gaveled in, the press corps has already hunkered down in our containment area next to the dias, waiting for the official kick-off at mid-day. For those speaker race junkies that miss their seemingly hourly updates, still no sign of Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, but outgoing speaker Tom Craddick has been walking the floor, kissing babies. And, while typing this blog entry, there's the first: Straus has just appeared. Check back for updates from the swearing-in session.

WTF is going on here? (Make sure the sound is on for sweet, sweet MIDI tunes.) Oh, it's a cyber-squatter. Classy!

With Senate confirmation hearings for Eric Holder, Prez Elect-Barack Obama's pick for U.S. Attorney General, slated to begin on Thursday (Jan. 15), NORML is calling on supporters to get involved to ensure that Holder will uphold Obama's campaign promise to leave medi-pot patients alone. Obama said repeatedly that he felt fed narcos should not be raiding or prosecuting medi-pot patients who use the drug in compliance with state law. Meanwhile, however, while a U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. in the 1990s, Holder actually suggested upping penalties associated with pot possession. As such, NORML is now asking pot reform proponents to call or write Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, who chairs the Judiciary Committee, where Holder's confirmation hearing will be held, to insist that Leahy ask Holder directly whether he would uphold Obama's campaign promise. Below the fold find Leahy's office number and NORML's suggestion for what to tell the senator's staff.

The Hustle bears witness to the announcement of former gubernatorial candidate and self-described ornery grandma Carole Keeton Strayhorn for mayor. It's fun for 20-year-olds, 30-year-olds, and 40-year-olds of all ages!

"I am Carole Keeton Strayhorn and I am running for Mayor of Austin." And with those words began the campaign speech of the former Austin mayor, state comptroller, and gubernatorial candidate, capping months of speculation whether she would enter the race. The road hasn't exactly been paved for her: the city council enacted law prohibiting candidates from using campaign funds amassed in other races, as she had running for Governor. Plus, it remains to be seen whether Strayhorn, a former Democrat turned Republican gone Independent, can click with Austin's liberal voters, and whether the possible entry of Mike Levy into the race might splinter her support, those voters to the right of Brewster McCracken or Lee Leffingwell. The announcement was subtly but decidedly to the right of Austin politics. Strayhorn promised to "pass a real budget with real numbers," and castigated the city for approving a budget with "$137 million more dollars than what everyone knew would be coming in this year." (Newsdesk is parsing the data Strayhorn cited for this claim, but still can't see the defecit. Good thing she used to be comptroller!) She also foresaw "fixing, not studying, our transportation problems," and an end to putting small businesses "through the meat grinder" of regulation. The whole affair had a decidedly bootstrappy je ne sais quoi; Strayhorn garnered applause mentioning the event host, banking software company BancVue, had grown "without any incentives." "This race is about our future and we can't change our future without knowing our past," Strayhorn said in a nod to her previous experience in the mayor's office. Whether or not the city agrees will be, for her, the story of the 2009 race.

Although the El Paso city council wants an open and honest discussion about the possibility of ending the drug war, Mayor John Cook wants nothing to do with such talk. On Jan. 6, the council voted 8-0 to add a provision calling for the open discussion to its 11-point resolution to support its "beleaguered" Mexican sister city, Ciudad Juarez. The resolution calls for solidarity with the people of the city -- where 1,600 were murdered last year -- and condemns the ongoing violence there, much of it related to the illegal drug trade. After the resolution had been approved by elected officials, Council member Beto O'Rourke stepped up with a 12th point to add, suggesting his colleagues "support an open national debate on ending the prohibition on narcotics." Each council member agreed.

The two remaining yogurt shop murder defendants may get the chance to argue that they should be released from custody on bond while the state works toward retrying them for the 1991 quadruple slaying near Northcross Mall. In court proceedings Jan. 7, District Judge Mike Lynch said he'll consider at another hearing in early March whether he'll entertain defense motions seeking the release of Robert Springsteen and Michael Scott on bond. Lynch's decision may come sooner, however, depending on when defense attorneys receive and pass on to the state final reports from their DNA experts who have found unknown male DNA in sisters Jennifer and Sarah Harbison, two of the four young victims who were murdered inside a North Austin yogurt shop. Lynch's attitude about the defense efforts seems to have shifted since last spring, when he declined to consider a similar action filed by Springsteen attorney Joe James Sawyer. The amount of DNA now available that does not match the defendants, or anyone else tested by the state, demonstrates that Springsteen and Scott are innocent, Springsteen attorney Alexandra Gauthier told reporters last week. That means "the killers are still out there," she said – and it is time for the state to start looking for them.

Sad news: Travis County Green Party Co-Chair Bill Holloway was found dead in his Austin home earlier this week. The cause of death is, as yet, unknown. The Green Party of the United States has the following statement on their website:

The Green Party of Texas mourns the tragic loss of Bill Holloway. Bill was a dedicated leader who was currently serving as the Co-Chair of the Travis County Green Party in Austin, TX. He will be missed as a mentor and a friend.

A funeral service will be held for Holloway in his home town of Oklahoma City, OK, on Jan. 14, followed by a memorial service in Austin on Jan. 16. A book of memories and photos is being organized for his parents: details can be found here. Newsdesk would like to pass on their deepest condolences to his family and friends.