Opening Day: Lawmakers to Set Rules, Pick Speaker

The Texas House and Senate open their 83rd regular session Tuesday, swearing in members, approving rules, choosing new leaders and listening to opening remarks from Gov. Rick Perry.

Some substance lurks amid the pomp and circumstance. House Speaker Joe Straus, seeking a third term at the helm, is the overwhelming favorite to win Tuesday's vote by House members. But he faces a persistent challenger in Rep. David Simpson, R-Longview, a second-term conservative who says the incumbent’s administration is too opaque and too beholden to entrenched interests and political factions in Austin.

In the Senate, an influx of new ...

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