Earlier this month, we reported how North Texas lawmakers are angling to bring a new public law school to downtown Dallas, after nearly passing a bill that would have done just that two years ago. Well, despite a brutal recession and a state report that a law school in Dallas isn't exactly key to the city's survival, new House speaker Joe Straus told WFAA-TV and the Dallas Morning News, he's (kinda/sorta) optimistic it will get done.

"I hope so," the San Antonio Republican said about whether the House would pass the new law school bill. "I hope we make progress. We almost made the necessary progress in the last session."

As Straus himself pointed out, it helps that Dallas lawmakers are in prime positions to push the legislation through both chambers.

Dallas Republican Dan Branch, a boyhood friend of the speaker's, chairs the House Higher Education Committee, while Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, is a member. Branch has filed the law school bill in the House while Democrat Royce West is filing the bill in the Senate. Suitably, both Branch and West are attorneys, although local business leaders also are backing the bill, saying it will cap the city's efforts to revitalize downtown Dallas.

In 2007, the Dallas delegation, dogged by a lack of unity, failed to pass the bill during a much stronger economy. Now, in the midst of a steep economic downturn, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, it will be a far greater challenge to convince state lawmakers to fund a new law school.

“Since we are in a recession and we don’t know how badly it will impact Texas — and I haven’t seen any statistics on the urgent need for a law school — this is something that can be pushed back,” Rep. Betty Brown, R-Athens, told Texas Watchdog. “There are needs in other areas like public education and (the) Gulf Coast, and we need to prioritize.”