People and Politics: October/November 2012 | STATE LEGISLATURES MAGAZINE

A TEXAS LEGISLATOR WITH AN ENTREPRENEURIAL FLAIR and a real-estate license is trying to create a niche market—among his fellow colleagues. Representative Harvey Hilderbran (R), chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, distributed flyers throughout the Capitol to entice members to find the right temporary address in Austin through him. “We can find you the best options, at the best price in town and facilitate everything for you,” flyers blanketing the Capitol say. Logan Skinner, an unpaid legislative intern with a real estate license who intends to move from his Capitol duties to the role of Hilderbran’s associate, distributed the flyers. “I’m a citizen legislator. I have a right to make a living, and I’m in the real estate business,” Hilderbran said. “Why wouldn’t I let people know about the service around here?”

DELAWARE SENATE PRESIDENT ANTHONY DELUCA (D), whose term as leader was marked by charges of abuse of power, lost his primary in September to a political newcomer. Bryan Townsend spent less than $25,000 to wrest victory from DeLuca, who has held the seat since 1998 and spent some $100,000 trying to defend it. The controversy over DeLuca stemmed from his taking a $68,913 Department of Labor job while earning $62,643 as leader. He also reportedly renovated a door to restrict access to his office for $46,000. Townsend promised more constituent service and knocked on doors throughout the district. “I think it was won at the doorsteps,” he said.

IN PUERTO RICO, CITIZENS LIKE THE SIZE OF THEIR LEGISLATURE just fine. They rejected a constitutional amendment by a 54-46 margin that would have shrunk the Senate to 17 seats from 27, and reduced the House to 39 seats from 51. They also soundly rejected an amendment to give judges the right to deny bail in certain murder cases, maintaining Puerto Rico as the only location in the Western Hemisphere where everyone can get bail no matter the crime.

THE DEAN OF THE WYOMING HOUSE LOST HIS BID FOR RE-ELECTION in the Republican primary in August. Sixteen-year veteran Representative Pat Childers lost to David Northrup in a four-way race in which gay marriage was an issue. Childers said he believed the tea party played a big part in his defeat. “I’ve basically refused to support the concept that gays and lesbians have less rights than other people do,” he said. Northrup comes from a political legacy. Both his father and grandfather served in the Wyoming Senate. He said the state should recognize same sex unions performed in other states, but Wyoming should not allow them. But in another primary race, a tea party member and former drummer for Chuck Berry lost his bid to unseat Representative Elaine Harvey, seeking her sixth term, in a landslide.

THINGS ARE INTERESTING IN ILLINOIS. Derrick Smith was appointed to an open House seat in 2011, arrested for bribery just days before the primary in March 2012, and expelled from the General Assembly during a special session in late August. Smith was accused of taking a $7,000 bribe and became the first member since 1905 to be kicked out of office. But he might be back. That’s because despite his arrest on federal charges, he won the primary and is on the November ballot. In the meantime, former policeman Eddie Winters was chosen to fill his seat, but he’s missed the filing deadline, so he’ll be out after the election. Smith had a huge lead in recent polls against Democrat Lance Tyson, who is running as a unity party candidate. Stay tuned.

DELEGATE DAN MORHAIM (D), THE ONLY PHYSICIAN IN THE 188-MEMBER MARYLAND GENERAL ASSEMBLY, has written a critically acclaimed book about empowerment and end-of-life care. “The Better End: Surviving (and Dying) on Your Own Terms in Today’s Modern Medical World” (Hopkins University Press), has garnered excellent reviews, including endorsements by poet Maya Angelou and world-renowned Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson. Morhaim, first elected in 1994, is deputy majority leader in the House of Delegates. He has more than 30 years of clinical experience treating patients in emergency and internal medicine and serves on the faculty of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In 2011 he was honored with the American Medical Association’s Nathan Davis Award for Outstanding Public Service.

SPEAKER STEVE TILLEY RESIGNED FROM THE MISSOURI HOUSE in August to work as a political consultant. Tilley became speaker in 2011 when Republicans won 17 seats by defeating 10 Democratic incumbents and winning seven open seats from retiring Democrats. The election was an historic win for the GOP, increasing their majority to 106-57. The closest they had come to that was in 1929-30, when they controlled 103 seats. Tilley was first elected in 2004, and would have had to step down in January because of term limits. Among his major accomplishments he lists eliminating the business franchise tax and requiring drug testing for welfare recipients. But it is the bronze bust of Rush Limbaugh, a Missouri native, that stands outside the House chamber in the Hall of Famous Missourians that is undoubtedly Tilley’s most visible legacy. Representative Tim Jones was sworn in as the new speaker of the House during the first day of the veto session in September.