Buried among the thousands of pieces of legislation filed during the session, filled with heavy policy analysis and serious problems needing a solution, there are always a few gems waiting to be discovered. Or in the case of one lawmaker, gold. A bill by Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake, would establish the Texas Bullion Depository to house and safeguard $1 billion worth of gold bars owned by the Lone Star State that are currently being kept at the Federal Reserve of New York. The bars belong to the University of Texas Investment Management Co. and, according to lawmakers and Gov. Rick Perry, they should be closer to home—a move that has fueled some speculation about whether Texas does, in fact, plan to secede. It's one of the more unusual pieces of legislation to hit this session, where even the most serious and bookish of lawmakers are not immune to filing the occasional headline-grabbing "wild bill," a popular term around the Capitol for bills that are a bit different. Describing them as "wild bills," however, does not mean that they are not good policy and will not become law. But a favorite pastime of the Texas Legislature is passing laws that later become punchlines, such as the long-revered and antiquated law against taking three sips of your beer while standing up, or shooting a buffalo out the second-story window of your hotel. There's a reason why the late newspaper columnist Molly Ivins used to call Texas politics "the finest form of free entertainment ever invented." A bill by Rep. Dwayne Bohac, R-Houston, would protect the use of "Merry Christmas" and similar "traditional holiday greetings" in schools against lawsuits. Another proposal, this one originating in Arlington, would require strippers to be licensed by the state and carry their licenses at work at all times. The bill requires them to wear it on their person, begging a few questions in a committee hearing that was punctuated with giggles and blushes. One piece of legislation would make the state's gridiron matchup between the University of Texas and Texas A&M University a mandatory game, with scholarship money being forfeited if either school cancels or backs out. The rivalry is 100 years old, but the state missed out on the big game last year after Texas A&M left the Big 12 conference to join the Southeastern Conference. But Texans' fervor for football pales in comparison to two of the state's greatest loves: Guns and freedom, both of which are featured in a bill by Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano. The proposal creates the Texas Gun Ownership Reinforcement Act, which allows Texans to buy weapons, archery equipment, ammunition and cleaning supplies tax-free on March 2, more commonly known as Texas Independence Day. "As we fight against the federal government's overreach, there is no more appropriate day to instate this tax-free holiday than on Texas Independence Day," Leach said. Another piece of legislation, whose co-authors include Republican Rep. Jason Isaac of the landlocked Dripping Springs district, would outlaw the sale and purchase of shark fins and fin-based products. And one bill would educate boaters and fishermen on how to stop the infiltration of zebra mussels, a problem that is admittedly not on the radar of most Texans, but is, according to testimony in a recent committee hearing, an invasive species that poses a threat to state lakes. On the subject of zebras—sort of—another bill by a South Texas lawmaker would outlaw the ownership of large exotic animals, such as cougars, cheetahs, lions, gorillas and orangutans, by private individuals.