Texas State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg apparently likes to sleep in

by Bill Baumbach of The Collin County Observer

State Rep. Jodie Laubenberg

Collin County's State House Representative Jodie Laubenberg serves on three legislative committees. Most committees meet in the morning. Texas House records show that this session, she has missed morning committee recorded quorum calls over 85% of the time, including over 60% of the meetings of the House Public Health Committee.

Most of the 8:00 AM Public Health Committee meetings were recessed after the House was called into session and met again later in the day. Rep. Laubenberg did show up for most of the afternoon sessions of the committee.

Of the 11 meetings of the Public Health Committee held since February 24 and for which minutes are posted on the Legislature's web site, Rep. Laubenberg was absent for two and missed the morning session on five more.

Because of her attendance, Ms. Laubenberg was marked "absent" for 60% of the roll call votes in the committee. Since the legislative session began, the Public Health Committee has voted to pass 70 bills to the full House. Laubenberg was marked "absent" on all but 28 of those 70 roll call votes.

Rep. Laubenberg also sits on the Natural Resources and on the Local & Consent Calendars Committees.

The Natural Resources Committee has posted minutes on 10 meetings, six of them began at 8:00 AM. Ms. Laubenberg missed 6 of the 10 quorum calls, including all but one of the 8:00 AM calls. However, since she did eventually make it to most of the committee meetings, she was marked "absent" in only 13 of the 85 roll call votes on bills.

The Local & Consent Calendars Committee has met four times this session. Ms. Laubenberg was marked absent in two of the four. In those two absences, she also missed the recorded votes to pass bills to the House floor.

I have sent the following email to Representative Jodie Laubenberg:

Rep. Laubenberg,

I have noticed that you seem to have a hard time making roll calls in the morning.

In the three committees on which you serve, I note that the minutes show you missing 12 out of 14 morning quorum calls.

Like most of your constituents, I work for a living. In order to pay my bills and taxes, I must wake up and be on my way early every morning.

If you would send me your phone number, I would be happy to offer you wake up calls at 6:00 AM. Perhaps that would help you better represent our district.

Sincerely,

Bill Baumbach

The Collin County Observer

Rep. Laubenberg (R-Parker), who is serving her 4th term as representative from District 89 in south-eastern Collin County, was the past chair of the Public Health Committee. After the previous chair, Dianne Delisi decided not to run for re-election, then Speaker Tom Craddick appointed Laubenberg chair in July of 2008 after the 80th Session ended.

When the current session began, new Speaker Joe Straus demoted her and appointed Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) as the new committee chair.

The Collin County Observer has criticized Ms. Laubenberg for not issuing a report to the legislature on regional health care.

Last session, Laubenberg authored HB 3154, which called for a series of public hearings on regional approaches to public health. She held only one meeting, which was highly orchestrated and allowed no public testimony. No public hearings were ever held, and the committee report that her bill mandated to be submitted to the legislature by September 1, 2008 has still not been released.