He could debate an issue more articulately than anyone I've seen in my 22 years in the Senate.

Sen. Thomas' diligence and energy will be missed in the Senate chambers and I wish he and his family the best.

The debate will no doubt be heated and at times contentious. The debate in the Senate is only one part of the lengthy process.

The difference between the two for me, fundamentally, is that the Senate and the governor want to do it the way it's always been done, and the House wants to see if there's a better way to do things, if there's a way to change the structure of how we provide services.

This is one of the worst things the Senate has ever done. On the back of a cocktail napkin they have tossed aside protections of individual liberty that have been in existence for centuries.

My preference is that we eliminate the Senate.