It's week 8 of the 88th Legislature and it seems the House is finally getting down to business. Over 700 bills were referred to Committee yesterday. Many Committees are also holding organizational meetings and I found at least one that is actually hearing bills next week. With only 14 days left until the filing deadline, things should start moving quickly.
Speaker Phelan released 4 of his
Legislative Priorities this week. Unfortunately, none of them align with the Republican Party of Texas priorities adopted by thousands of Republican voters at convention last year. None of them address the Governor's priority issues either. Two of them are authored by Democrats, (which doesn't necessarily make them bad - but Puleeez!) One of them is to expand Medicaid payments. Is Dade Phelan actually a Democrat, just pretending to be a Republican?
But - whatever - we will carry on. Here's what's happening next week:
Feb 28:
TLO Training, 10 am to Noon, Ag Commissioner Sid Miller's Conference room, 1700 Congress, 11th floor. Each guest will need to sign in at the 11th floor.
Matt Long and I will present some basics on using the Texas Legislature Online. Bring your laptop, tablet, or phone, and you can log on live with us and learn how to navigate this useful tool.
Meet in Commissioner Miller's office at 10 am. ready to go. Please make sure you know how to get into the TLO ahead of time. There will not be time for us to address how to access the site. You can do this on your own before Tuesday. Just go to
www.capitol.texas.gov, and know how to find that website on Tuesday.
Hint: If you park at the Bullock Museum parking garage, you will be right across the street from the 1700 Congress building, also called the Stephen F. Austin building.
After training we'll walk over to the Capitol and we have several options for afternoon work.
1) Three House Committees are meeting, but only one (Criminal Jurisprudence) is hearing bills. The others are organizational meetings with invited testimony only. If you've never attended a hearing before, this is a good time to watch, listen and learn. If you are interested in one of these bills, you might want to testify at the hearing.
2) Visit House Public Health Committee Members and deliver position paper on Gender Modification of children. Urge them to schedule hearings on bills that would ban the practice and prevent medical practitioners from performing gender transition treatments on minor children.
House Public Health Committee (Klick Chair, Campos Vice Chair)
For those who cannot go to the Capitol on Tuesday - you can call or write to the Public Health Committee members about this issue.
3) Visit your own House Rep and Senator (if you have not already done so), and give them a copy of our TTP legislative Priorities and the Gender Modification Position Paper.
Save the Date! March 28
Tuesday March 28 will be our "True Texan Day at the Capitol" for the 88th Session. We're planning a tour of the Capitol Building, a meeting with a State Wide Elected officer, a tour of the Supreme Court Building, and visits to legislators offices. We hope to have a really large group that day - representing True Texas Project and having fun. It's a great time to bring older kids along if they are home schooled, or can be excused from school for a field trip. Plans are still developing, so we might add some surprises. Whatever we do - I know you'll enjoy it and you'll learn something.
What we're doing is WORKING! People in leadership who are in a position to know, are feeling a shift in the Overton Window to the right and it's all because of grassroots activists like YOU! So keep doing what you're doing. And if you're not doing.... get yourself going!
.png)
