The Midday Brief: Jan. 7, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The House is poised to rectify the problem caused when Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions, a member of GOP leadership, left the House chamber on Wednesday before Speaker John Boehner administered the oath of office en masse to House members." — House set to fix Pete Sessions oath-taking no-show snafu; ethics questions raised, Trail Blazers

• "Wasn’t Texas supposed to be thriving even as the rest of America suffered? Didn’t its governor declare, during his re-election campaign, that 'we have billions in surplus'? Yes, it was, and yes, he did. But reality has now intruded, in the form of a deficit expected to run as high as $25 billion over the next two years." — The Texas Omen, The New York Times

• "Is the timing of ethics violation allegations against state Rep. Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) designed to impact him negatively in the Texas House speaker’s race? 'Absolutely!' said William Elmer, who filed one of four Straus complaints, along with three of his allies. 'Yes. That’s a big yes!'" — Ethics allegations against Straus ‘absolutely’ meant to impact Texas House speaker’s race, The Texas Independent

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Over the objections of state Attorney General Greg Abbott, an Austin appellate court has upheld the divorce of a lesbian couple married in Massachusetts." — Austin Appeals Court Upholds Gay Divorce

• "Advocates for shuttering Texas' institutions for people with disabilities say they have a big plus in their column this session: the state’s giant budget crunch." — Will Money Woes Force Closing of DADS Facilities?