Aside from being an opportunity to see inside the near-mythical Speaker’s Apartment (and scarf down free food), Friday morning’s meet-and-greet gave the capitol press corps a chance for a real Q&A with Speaker Joe Straus. In between free danishes, the Chronicle caught some footage (in gloriousl wobble-o-vision.)

Youtube video

So, aside from the breakfast tacos, what were the highlights?

Straus again re-assured the press that “I’m not going to be an agenda driver, so much as a facilitator for House members to take policy wherever it needs to go.”

As for the long-awaited House committee appointments, Straus promised again they’ll be here before the end of the week, and hinted heavily (again) that the committees will be as balanced between parties as the House is. As a result, he said, “The day-to-day life here will pretty much take care of itself.”

This article appears in February 6 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.