Off the Kuff: Special session begins

Off the Kuff: Special session begins: "The initial focus of the new session will be on Republican Speaker Tom Craddick and the GOP majority in the House, which, under the state constitution, must act first on a tax bill.

And one Republican House member, Rep. Carter Casteel of New Braunfels, warned the new session was shaping up as 'a mess.'

She said many GOP House members, who got elected campaigning against higher taxes, are worried they will lose their re-election bids next year if they vote again for higher state taxes, as they did in March, and then fail to reach a compromise with the Senate on property tax relief.

'It (the special session) is going to put the icing on the cake. The icing may taste good or a little sour,' Casteel added."