Another legislative session in the books, along with another budget crisis averted

Some State Capitol watchers say they can't relax until state legislators go home for the year.

As a reporter who chased the occupants of the "Hall of Hot Winds" for too many decades, I can attest that the fire drill-like finish to legislative sessions leaves you ready for something different. Or a stiff drink.

Late-night sessions – which used to be a rarity – are par for the course these days, with debates extending 12 hours or more in the waning days of a legislative session.

Filibusters also used to be as unusual as a soaking rain in spring, but now are as common as the migration of the Sand...