Ciro Rodriguez, Solomon Ortiz Pledged "Yes", Voted "No" on Climate Bill

by: David Mauro

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 10:14 PM CDT

Politico is reporting that U.S. Representatives Ciro Rodriguez (D-San Antonio) and Solomon Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) were two of four Democratic members of congress who had said they would vote "yes" and then voted "no" on the climate change bill.

In all, 44 Democrats voted against the bill.

The White House and House Democratic leaders were desperate for every single vote they could secure ahead of the vote, which ultimately ended 219-212.

Details involving Ortiz's situation have yet to be reported, but the story behind Rodriguez's apparent flip-flop leaves a lot of questions unanswered.

Rodriguez had told leadership that he was a likely yes -- but then cast a quick "no" vote and practically sprinted from the chamber, frustrating floor managers whose shouts of "Rodriguez!" rang through the House as the final anxious votes were cast.

At one point, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner bounced from a huddle of leadership members and began calling the rep's name, like a wayward toddler, as he scanned the Speaker's lobby and the adjacent balcony.

"He cast his no and then ran the hell out of there," said a member of the whipping team, still steaming after the vote. "We tried him at his office and they said he was gone."

After Henry Cuellar defeated Rodriguez in the 2004 primary, national blogs like Daily Kos and MyDD made defeating Cuellar, deemed too conservative for the South Texas Democratic district, a top priority in spring 2006. In the end, Cuellar won by more votes in '06 than he had in '04.

It is slighty ironic then that Cuellar voted "aye" on this particular bill while Rodriguez will have a lot of explaining to do to President Obama and House Democratic leaders.

Edited slightly to better reflect the timing of the netroots involvement in the Rodriguez-Cuellar primary.

Bill to Limit Teen Cell Phone Use While Driving

by: Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr.

Thu Jan 22, 2009 at 04:06 PM CST

Talking on a cell phone and texting while driving is becoming a dangerous trend. The research is clear that using a cell phone or texting greatly increases your risk of being involved in a crash. HB 662 prohibits drivers under age 18 from using a cell phone unless it with a hands-free device or in the event of an emergency. A 2007 study conducted by AAA found that 46 percent of 16 and 17-year-olds admitted to texting while driving. Other studies have found the number to be even higher.

We need to continue to educate teenagers about safe driving habits. In 2008, Moody High School, a school in my district, received a $5,500 grant from State Farm Insurance to teach students about bad habits like texting while driving. We need to support education efforts like this across the state.

Ortiz represents House District 33, which includes part of Nueces County and the City of Corpus Christi. Rep. Ortiz encourages constituents to contact his office on this or any issue of interest at (512) 463-0484, email him at district33.ortizjr@house.state.tx.us or visit the House of Representatives website at www.house.state.tx.us.
 

Mexican American Legislative Caucus (MALC) Elects New Leadership

by: Matt Glazer

Tue Dec 09, 2008 at 05:48 PM CST

MALC is one of the largest non-partisan caucus in the state legislature.  It was recently chaired by Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine), but today the members elected new leadership.

Trey Martinez Fischer, the former vice-chair, will take the helm as Chairman. Abel Herrero, former Legal Counsel is the new Vice Chairman. Newly elected State House member Diana Maldonado will serve as Secretary. Solomon Ortiz Jr. was elected as  Treasurer and Veronica Gonzales will become the new Legal Counsel.

Ortiz stated in a press release, "It is an honor to serve my colleagues in a leadership role as MALC Treasurer. MALC has shown time and again that is a force to be reckoned with legislatively and an important advocate for the Hispanic community and all Texans."

MALC was founded in 1973, it is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of over 40 members of the Texas House of Representatives committed to addressing the issues that Latinos face across the state of Texas.

Rep. Gallego is currently running for Speaker of the Texas House and for disclosure purposes employed me during the 80th Session.  

For more information about MALC visit MALC.org.

Texas Democratic Congressional Members Endorse Noriega

by: Karl-Thomas Musselman

Wed Dec 05, 2007 at 04:00 PM CST

The following U.S. House members endorsed Rep. Noriega in the U.S. Senate race:  Reps. Al Green, Ruben Hinojosa, Silvestre Reyes, Chet Edwards, Sheila Jackson-Lee, Charlie Gonzalez, Nick Lampson, Ciro Rodriguez, Lloyd Doggett, Solomon P. Ortiz, Gene Green, and Eddie Bernice Johnson.  

"Rick Noriega is the candidate in this race whose entire life represents his commitment to profound service to our nation ... military service and public service," said the members of the Texas Delegation.  "From the halls of the University of Houston under an ROTC scholarship, to the halls of Harvard, to the Texas National Guard, to the halls of the State Capitol, to the mountains of Afghanistan after 9-11, and to the Texas border with Operation Jumpstart - we know that Rick Noriega is the candidate to best serve Texans in the United States Senate."

"On the defining issues of the day - national security, border security, health insurance for our children, and fiscal responsibility - Rick is uniquely positioned, by virtue of his life experience, to best serve Texas interests in the U.S. Senate," the members agreed.  "U.S. military policy will long command the attention of future Congresses.  Rick's understanding of on-the-ground logistics - as well as abilities and limitations - of our military will be a fresh and important voice in the Senate on military issues."

Charles Kuffner adds some insight as to why this is really pretty awesome and a success for Team Noriega.

Excellent. It may not seem like a big deal for a bunch of Democratic members of Congress to endorse a Democrat running for Senate, but 1) it's never a trivial thing to get a bunch of Democrats to agree on anything; 2) the more unified Noriega's support is here, the more likely he'll get support from the national folks; and 3) this is still a contested primary, however loosely that's being defined.

You may be wondering about that thirteenth member of Congress. That would be Rep. Henry Cuellar, and as usual, he's doing his own thing.

Various members of Congress also taped video statements of support which the campaign will be distributing over the coming days.