Week 12: 89th Texas Legislature Greetings Fellow Patriots! Week 12 is now in the books, and puts us beyond the half way point in the session. We have a small chance to push back against the tyranny and double dealing in the House. Let's rise up and do it! THIS WEEK: TTP Tuesday: We had another great day at the Capitol with a bus load of patriots from the DFW area. We lobbied for 2nd amendment bills that were in committee that day and in the Calendars Committee. We observed a public hearing for a while, and delivered position papers to the committee, and priority lists to all 108 Republican Representatives and Senators. Thanks to everyone who contributed to the day! One very interesting thing occurred on Tuesday April 1, and it was no April Fool’s joke! Rep. Brian Harrison made a motion to vacate the Speaker of the House. The motion obviously, was not well received by Speaker Burrows, and he repeatedly cut off Harrison’s mic as he was speaking. Rep. Harrison has been shining a light on the shenanigans put forward by the Speaker since the beginning of session. His motion to vacate the Speaker was a bold move, but we think the right one. Check out the video of how it went down. Rep. Harrison now has a petition going for his bid to replace Speaker Burrows. We agree that it’s time for a change and wholly support this petition. Rep Harrison will deliver printed copies of all the names to the Speaker’s office next week, and we urge grassroots activists to sign on. If you would like to add your name to the petition, click here for the form. We have multiple examples of Burrows’ failed leadership as Speaker, and it’s time we stand up and do something about it. The petition will send a powerful message that grassroots Texans are not happy with our representation in the Texas House. Please sign the petition no later than noon on Monday April 7. In The Senate: The Senate continues it’s fast pace of moving legislation along the process.
- SB689 Hughes- Passed: prohibits state agencies from establishing DEI offices
- SB406 Middleton – Passed: prevents changing birth certificate sex from sex-at-birth.
- SB883 Paxton – Considered in Public Hearing: allows doctors to prescribe off-label drugs to treat COVID-19
- SB2422 Hall – Testimony taken in Public Hearing: prohibits TX Medical Board from taking actions on doctors who prescribe certain drugs to treat COVID.
- SJR68 Birdwell – Public Hearing held on 4/3: State Officers being impeached cannot have pay suspended during the process.
- SB22 Huffman – On Intent Calendar for 4/7: We are still concerned about this one. It’s the one that gives $500 million per year to the film industry. We encourage people to contact their Senators and urge them to vote NO. It is not government’s job to fund private industry, and meanwhile, people are losing their homes because of property taxes!
Yesterday, Lt. Gov. Patrick did a press conference where he revealed his plan to work with the House to further increase the property tax homestead exemption for seniors to $200,000, which he claims will “remove almost every senior in Texas from paying M&O taxes anymore.” (we think it would be best to remove and replace property taxes for everyone!) Read about it, as well as other issues revealed in the press conference in this Texas Scorecard article. In The House The big news in the House this week (besides vacating the Speaker), is that HB3 (House ESA bill) was left pending in committee, and SB2 (Senate ESA bill) was reported favorably as substituted out of committee. SB2 will now move to Calendars committee for scheduling a 2nd reading on the House floor. The House Committee on Homeland Security heard HB17 in public hearing this week. This is Hefner’s bill to prevent hostile foreign ownership of Texas land. The RPT is objecting to this bill, and It’s Senate version, SB17, over language that doesn’t go far enough. The bill language uses the term “domiciled” in a foreign country instead of “citizen” of a foreign country. The senate version passed the senate on 3/19 and has been received in the House. It is thought that language in both bills could be cleaned up with amendments. Several worthy bills are being heard in Committees in the House next week. Please use the online forms to register a comment. I’ll post the form links in the action items below.
- HB1913 Schatzline – prohibit sex offender from going near residence of his/her victim
- HB3553 Spiller – supported by TXGR – use of deadly force
- HB2013 Bell, Cecil – HOA’s cannot prohibit having chickens on the property if city ordinance does not prohibit it.
NEXT WEEK: On April 8th, we will be at the Capitol with a plan that will include contacting members of certain committees to request hearings for good bills, registering at the kiosks on bills in committee that day, possibly dropping green or red cards to calendars committee, and testifying at a hearing. There are at least 3 bills that we might want to testify on. One is from my Rep., Nate Schatzline. HB1913 prohibits sex offenders from going near the residence of their victims. HB2013 I’m calling the “chicken freedom” bill. It says HOA’s cannot prohibit homeowners from having chickens on their property if the city ordinances do not prohibit it. If you love chickens, this one is for you. HB3553 is a bill about use of deadly force, and it is approved by TXGR. Both of these committees meet in the afternoon, so there should be time to attend and testify if you’re inclined to do so. If you are planning to go on the 8th, please email me to let me know you’re coming so I can better plan the day. Also let me know if you want to testify. at one of the committees. There are plenty of other bills in committee that day and you can see them all on the TLO We will meet up in the Seal Court on Level 2 of the Extension. If you take the elevator, go to E2, the Seal Court is just outside the long corridor. If you take the stairs, go all the way down to level 2, just under the Capitol Grille. Look for me on the benches under the stairs at 10 AM. ***It has not been confirmed yet, but we expect a Senate Health & Human Services Committee hearing next week on the 9th, for SB 2119, Relating to an exemption from certain immunization requirements for medical and veterinary students. This is the priority bill to help a certain Sea Cadet that we all know and love pursue her desired career. Rebecca Hardy, with Texans for Vaccine Choice has told us that this issue is the 2nd highest number of calls they receive from people looking for help. It's a problem for many young people, and it needs to be corrected. Please be prepared to go on the 9th to testify, and/or register at the Kiosk, or contact members of the committee. We'll post an action alert when we have details of the hearing.*** WHAT YOU CAN DO FROM HOME: 1) Sign Rep Harrison’s petition to vacate the Speaker. 2) Contact your own Representatives and encourage them to support Harrison’s motion to vacate the Speaker. 3) Register On-Line comments in support of the following
4) Contact your Senator, request a no vote on SB22 (Film industry subsidies) 5) Pray always! While we face a lot of obstacles in this year's session, I can tell you that we truly are winning on many fronts, and our efforts do make a difference. TTP's influence grows and we are hearing from our grassroots champions how much they appreciate our efforts. Sometimes just a quick visit to the office with a friendly "Hi! Keep up the good work!" goes a long way towards keeping them focused and encouraged. They also covet our prayers for them, for the rest of the legislature, for Texas and for the USA. We're over half way there, and then after June 2, we can rest for a minute and a half, and then get ready for the next challenge. Be safe and stay engaged! Fran Rhodes, President. [email protected] SAVE THE DATES! Tuesday Apr 15 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Tuesday Apr 22 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Tuesday Apr 29 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Tuesday May 6 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol - PLUS Bus from Cypress/Brenham (final bus for this session) Bus Registrations can be found on the TTP Website Tuesday May 13 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Tuesday May 20 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Tuesday May 27 - TTP Tuesdays at the Capitol Our weekly visits to the Capitol focus on legislation, but the primary work is training up people to continuously be engaged in government. Every week, we have new people who have never done it before and are happy to learn. We are training up an army of grassroots activists, but we need your help to do it. Can you chip in?
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