State Rep. James Talarico has ordered that every session of the Texas House now begin with a mandatory bipartisan handshake marathon, a nine-hour line in which each of the chamber's members must grip the hand of every colleague, twice, before a single bill may be read aloud.
The ritual, which Talarico calls «the balance, made visible,» began Monday and consumed the entire morning. Members walked the line in alphabetical order, then reverse alphabetical order, then by committee assignment, while the House sergeant-at-arms timed each grip with a stopwatch and a clerk called out the names of the pairs still waiting.
Republicans have responded by treating the marathon as a competitive sport. The House Republican Caucus has hired a grip coach, installed a squeeze-strength station in the members' lounge, and begun holding 5 a.m. practices in the Capitol parking garage. «We will not be outshaken on this floor,» said one caucus organizer, flexing a forearm wrapped in athletic tape.
Talarico has extended the ritual to the Senate, the governor's mansion and the state fair, where he now shakes hands with voters for the same nine hours every Saturday. Aides say he has not slept past 4 a.m. since the rule took effect and has begun greeting his own staff with a two-handed clasp before meetings.
By Thursday the line had grown to include lobbyists, pages and a delegation of visiting county judges, and the House had yet to read a single bill. «We are building trust,» Talarico said, still shaking. «One hand at a time.»