An Inside Look to the Legislative Session

Our trip to Austin started bright and early, when KTAB's Katherine Lane and photographer, Danielle Reeves and I headed for the state capital. The drive took about four hours. As soon as we arrived I met with State Representative Susan King, who informed me of some of the things on the top of her priority list.

The top things she mentioned were:
Education and how important our local schools are, as students are our future. She put emphasis on the importance of funding for Cisco Jr. College, as well as our three private universities.

Water and how she plans to put forth the plans with building a dam out at the Cedar Ridge Reservoir; bringing in an additional supply of water to the City of Abilene.

Wind Energy is something that Representative King also wants to keep growing in the Big Country area.

Oil and Gas Industry is on everyone's mind and it is also a priority for State Representative Susan King.

Representative King was so welcoming that she gave of us a tour of the Capitol building, including the "mysterious" lounge that legislatures can convene throughout the session. It was pretty tiny for 150 people but a much needed spot as no food or drink is allowed in the House.

After our tour, we rushed back to the hotel to get our stories done for the six and ten o'clock newscasts. It was stressful as the internet connection was pretty slow. However, we worked really hard and made a great team, putting together a high quality product. If you didn't get a chance to see it at 6, definitely check it out on the website.

The opening ceremony begins at noon tomorrow when the Representatives of the House will be sworn in. We will be there bright and early to see how the day pans out. We'll be bringing you the latest throughout the day.

This has definitely been a great learning experience and I hope to go on many other out-of-town assignments in the future.