Utah lawmakers were held spellbound by Texas Rep. Mike Krusee as he explained that toll roads provide solid and fair revenues for building highways. In a near swoon, business lobbyist-and-sometimes-Sen. Howie Stephenson purred:

Hearing you is a breath of fresh air. I just want to welcome you to the Socialist Republic of Utah.

Apparently Krusee's breath wasn't so fresh to a Texas Highway Patrol trooper last spring.
Krusee, in fact, had passed up a court hearing on his drunken-driving arrest to be on Utah's Capitol hill.

Krusee’s attorney explained to the judge his client was unable to plead innocent in person because he was in Utah speaking to legislators. The trial is set for Nov. 17.

Krusee was arrested in April after a trooper saw Krusee’s car swerving down a highway near Austin. The Republican lawmaker, mug shot above, failed the field sobriety tests and refused a breath and blood test

Krusee is known in Texas for successfully sponsoring the “driver responsibility program” that includes surcharges for driving offenses, including $1,000 for a first conviction of driving while intoxicated.