ACTION NEEDED ASAP: Legislative Priorities Update

Texas Patriots,

We have just over three weeks left in the 87th Texas Legislative Session for our Legislative Priorities to make it through the process, but we are experiencing a serious bottleneck. You can see by reading the captions for the bills below that it is important we succeed this session. Your actions can make all the difference right now!

ACTION ITEM 1:

At this moment, there are 14 RPT Legislative Priority bills stalled in the Calendars Committee. Yes, you read that right! Contact the Calendars Committee Chairman Dustin Burrows to ask that he bring all these priority bills up for a Committee vote along with contacting Committee members to ask them to vote these bills favorably out of Committee.

· Chairman Dustin Burrows: 512-463-0542 -- [email protected]

· Committee Clerk Paige Higerd: 512-463-0758

· Rep. Cody Harris: 512-463-0730 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Cole Hefner: 512-463-0271 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Ben Leman: 512-463-0600 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Jared Patterson: 512-463-0694 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Shelby Slawson: 512-463-0626 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Tom Craddick: 512-463-0500 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Joe Moody: 512-463-0728 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Ana Hernandez: 512-463-0614 -- [email protected]

· Rep. Toni Rose: 512-463-0664 -- [email protected]

· Rep. James Talarico: 512-463-0670 -- [email protected]

Priority bills stalled in Calendars Committee:

Elections – · HB 6 – Cain | Schofield | Klick | Clardy | Jetton - Relating to election integrity and security, including by preventing fraud in the conduct of elections in this state; increasing criminal penalties; creating criminal offenses.

· HB 2339 - Klick - Relating to the use of information from the lists of noncitizens and nonresidents excused or disqualified from jury service.

· HB 2546 - Jetton | Cain - Relating to the enforcement by the secretary of state of certain voter roll maintenance provisions; creating a criminal offense.

· HB 3297 - Allison - Relating to election integrity and the prevention of fraud in the conduct of an election; creating criminal offenses; increasing a criminal penalty.

· HB 4044 - Cain - Relating to a registrar's failure to cancel voter registrations under applicable law.

· HB 4331 – Jetton | Lozano - Relating to vote harvesting; creating an offense; creating a civil penalty.

Religious Freedom:

· HB 525 - Shaheen | Dean - Relating to the protection of religious organizations.

· HB 3940 - Cain | Slawson | Vasut | Murr | Leach - Relating to discrimination against or burdening certain constitutional rights of an applicant for or holder of a license to practice law in this state.

· HCR 1 - Stephenson - Supporting prayers, including the use of the word "God," at public gatherings and displays of the Ten Commandments in public educational institutions and other government buildings.

· HJR 72 - Leach | Parker | Noble | Slawson - Proposing a constitutional amendment to prohibit this state or a political subdivision of this state from prohibiting or limiting religious services of religious organizations.

Children and Gender Modification:

· HB 1399 - Krause | Oliverson | Hefner | Parker - Relating to professional liability insurance coverage for and prohibitions on the provision to certain children of procedures and treatments for gender transitioning, gender reassignment, or gender dysphoria.

Constitutional Carry:

· HB 1911 - White | Burrows | Canales | Schaefer | Hefner - Relating to provisions governing the carrying of a handgun by certain unlicensed persons and to other provisions related to the carrying, possessing, transporting, or storing of a firearm; providing criminal penalties.

Monument Protection:

· HB 2713 - Hefner | White | Metcalf | Bell, Cecil - Relating to the removal, relocation, alteration, or construction of certain monuments, memorials, or designations located on public property; authorizing a civil penalty.

· HB 3013 - Biedermann | Krause | Burns - Relating to displays and exhibits located on the grounds of the Alamo complex.

ACTION ITEM 2:

If you can believe it, seven priority bills are stalled in the House State Affairs Committee! This is unacceptable. Please contact House State Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Paddie to implore him to add these bills to the committee hearing agenda ASAP.

· Chairman Paddie: 512-463-0556 -- [email protected]

· HB 1458 - Swanson | Slawson | White | Noble - Relating to the separation based on biological sex of athletics teams sponsored by a public school or institution of higher education.

· HB3641 - Slaton - Relating to declaring void certain federal court decisions related to abortion and prohibiting cooperation with the enforcement of those decisions; creating a private cause of action; creating a criminal offense.

· HJR80 - Slawson - Proposing a constitutional amendment clarifying the Texas Constitution does not secure or protect the right to an abortion or require the expenditure of public money for an abortion.

· HJR113 - Cason - Proposing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to life of unborn children.

Ask Chairman Paddie to be bring these up for a House State Affairs Committee vote:

· HB 749 - Middleton | Burrows | Metcalf | Bonnen - Relating to the use by a political subdivision of public funds for lobbying activities.

· HB1691 – Tinderholt | Harless - Relating to the protection of religious freedoms and religious institutions during a declared state of disaster.

ACTION ITEM 3:

Please contact your Texas State Senator and ask them to vote for these priority bills. Ask your Senator to vote YES to protect our children!

· SB 1311, relating to the provision of and professional liability insurance coverage for gender transitioning or gender reassignment medical procedures and treatments for certain children, is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor tomorrow (Tuesday, May 4, 2021).

· SB 8, the ‘Heartbeat’ bill, is scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor Wednesday, May 5, 2021.

With your help, we can get these priorities over the finish line but it will take us all making calls and sending emails. Please share this information with your clubs, groups, etc.

Thank you for all your work this session and we pray God’s blessing and favor on these important pieces of legislation to protect our freedoms and our children.

For God and Texas,

-- The SREC Legislative Priorities Committee

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