The 82nd Texas Legislative session is now over, and The Citizens Lobbyist Network is extremely proud and thankful to all those that worked tirelessly and relentlessly to further the conservative ideals even when they thought that no one was looking. That’s what character is all about.
But on the flip side: It’s tragic that the vast majority of our legislators didn’t think that any one was looking. They were wrong, dead wrong. Although most legislators were oblivious of the fact, there were hundreds if not thousands of eyes watching their every move this session. Meticulously watching and taking notes and reporting back to their groups. And now many are compiling the statistics of each and every politician, on every committee, and on every vote. You simply cannot ‘not take a position’, no matter how inconspicuous you try to be. Even inaction is action and has been duly noted.
This kind of scrutiny has never been accomplished before in the history of our great State. The 21st century technology will change a politician’s world forever, just like the portable camcorder has changed a few Police Officer’s lives forever. And that is a good thing. Those with character will not need to do anything differently. Those without will identified and spotlighted in short order and discarded like the rodents they are. My apologies to mice everywhere.
I’ve been ‘citizen lobbying’ in Austin since the 74th legislature in ‘95, and I would have bet money that we’d see a difference this year. I never considered that any D or R would ignore the messages shouted by the 2010 elections. That would defy logic and I really didn’t suspect that they could actually believe that we (the very Citizens they took an oath to protect and serve) were either insincere or stupid. We are neither.
I had told everyone (based on my experience) that Austin was not D.C. But I now stand corrected. We wanted to trust them all, after all they weren’t from California or New York, they are fellow Texans. And after all Texans take care of Texans, don’t they?
In retrospect, and with a few refreshing exceptions, I saw a whole lot of business as usual and an inordinate amount of lip service. Well, they are proving to be the ones with sub-average I.Q.s if they think life will ever go back to business as usual. Sooner or later they will realize that we are simply not going back to sleep again. If the mule kicks you once….. you know that story.
Now, we need to act like the Detectives we are. We have some time to compile cases (all the clues and evidence are there) to present to the voters before the PRIMARY elections next May. Those lacking Character need not worry about the General election. Our job is to make sure that they don’t make it that far.
This is a call for representation from every conservative group in Texas to sit on a Texas Political Grand Jury which will convene very soon. A lot of groups are compiling their individual cases now, and for maximum coverage and impact we need to bring all the evidence together in a single cohesive brief.
It’s like the CIA and FBI not comparing notes before 9-11. We can’t repeat that mistake again. One group will certainly have evidence that another does not. United we Stand.
Emotional arguments can be easily dismissed, but we have all the statistics and antidotal elements to present an air tight case. “If it looks like a RINO, and grunts like a RINO, and VOTES like a RINO, it certainly is a RINO”. Of course, we need to give them the opportunity to submit a deposition or answer questions under cross examination. We need to invite them to our meetings.
The accused need to realize that like a choir, we are once again a single voice singing in unison. They, and the media, think we can be dismissed because of our diversity – that misconception must be corrected. We then need to release the results of this Grand Jury investigation to the press and the voters of Texas.
Only then can the trial proceed in the Court of Public Opinion. The RINO’s must to be defeated in the Primary. The General election is too late.
Those politicians with conservative character will undoubtedly be ‘No Billed’ by the Grand Jury and deserve our heartfelt thanks and support in upcoming primary and general elections. They are the true Champions.
Those that are indicted by the Grand Jury on charges of high crimes and misdemeanors against Texans should be severely adjudicated and true conservatives should be sought out and supported as their opposition candidates in the PRIMARY election. This is the mandatory sentence upon conviction and a speedy trial is in order. We will then watch them descend into obscurity.
Conservative groups, please contact Patriot Shar at partiotshar@att.net and let her know that you are reporting for Jury Duty on the Texas Political Grand Jury. Time is of the essence
Thank you,
Citizen Lobbyist Network
www.CitizenLobbyist.net
Monday, May 30, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
12 Things We Learned During The 82nd Legislative Session
By Heidi Thiess
Special thanks to Geri Bentley and Cheryl Johnson for training in how to get around Austin and lobby our own Representatives. And more special thanks to the dozens of patriots who spent long, arduous days going to and from Austin to confront our legislators with information, appeals, and calls to action. We all owe them our sincere gratitude for taking our concerns to the Capitol on our behalf.
During our Citizen Lobbyist Trips we were armed with our white papers outlining our conservative positions FOR or AGAINST specific bills. We would present these at every stop in the Capitol. We made a point of visiting the Governor's office, our Senators Mike Jackson and Dan Patrick, and any Representative who was involved in legislation we wanted to influence. And of course, we always dropped in on our own Reps who represent this area: Larry Taylor, John Davis, Randy Weber, Wayne Smith and sometimes even Democrat Craig Eiland! (FYI: you can see a graph of how they voted in the first 120 days of the session here.)
Here are the Top Twelve Things We Learned During the 82 Legislative Session:
12. For better or worse, you will be dealing mostly with your legislator's staff.
You can learn a lot about a legislator from the attitudes of his staff. People tend to surround themselves with like-minded folks, and staff is really an extension of the legislator. Some are rude and snotty, some are warm and welcoming. Sometimes, the legislative staffs will outright lie to you. More than once, when we asked if a legislator was in his office, his staff would say "No, he's not here." Then, while we're signing his guest book, wouldn't ya know, the Rep unwittingly traipsed out of a back room and right into our midst!
The key is to never forget that all these folks work for us. We always stayed polite but firm when presenting our cases to legislative staff.
11. Learn to translate Clintonese!
Speaking of untruths, be aware that the legislators will parse their language so carefully that what they are saying to you might only be true in that moment, under specific circumstances, but otherwise not true at all. This is truly Clintonian stuff, folks! The tip is here is DO NOT TRUST, and ALWAYS VERIFY.
10. Reps don't always cast their own votes.
The Reps vote to suspend a House Rule every session that requires them to cast their own votes on each piece of legislation. They will tell you it's so they can go to the restroom, each some lunch, negotiate with their peers, get to committee meetings. The reality is that on many days, a couple dozen or so Reps may vote for everyone. I'll leave that up to you to decide whether that's acceptable or not.
9. Committee chairmen will try and dodge citizen input in hearings.
Chairmen will drag out committee hearings so they can avoid hearing from work-a-day folks who are signed up to testify. They will even adjourn, knowing that folks have been waiting for hours, and then commence again at 10pm, when most folks have to go home to families and jobs. Just be ready for it! It's a game they play and your only option is to outlast 'em! Unfortunately, it is effective, because no one but those yahoos are getting paid to be there, and they know you have pressing responsibilities. If your testimony is imperative, you have to know ahead of time that sometimes you might be there all night!
8. These folks are NOT policy experts.
We are represented by folks elected from among us: insurance agents, business owners, attorneys, veterans, retirees, etc. They are not legislative geniuses. Many times the language of bills is written by staffers, consultants, or lobbyists, and the legislator slaps his name on it. Some of it is so poorly written, it's unenforceable, and sometimes it's so convoluted that it leaves loopholes of unintended consequences lurking in the muddled language. Worse, some legislators don't read the bills they vote on, unless they are directly involved as authors or sponsors. They rely on the expertise of the other Reps to know which way to vote. You know what that means? There is a very tiny niche of self-proclaimed experts making decisions for the entire deliberative body on issues within their purview. It is a self-perpetuating problem, and it needs watching!
That's why your letters, emails, and phone calls are so crucial. If you don't feed these guys info on important issues, folks, they will not know.
7. TRADITION!!!!!!
Sometimes bills are passed because "that's the way things have always been done." By now, most of you are already aware of the self-inflicted disaster of the Republican redistricting maps - at every level. As predicted, conservatives who had opposed Straus were paired against each other or drawn right out of their known districts. A more strongly conservative map (Cain/Nixon) was ignored and never made it to the floor for debate. The SBOE map set up some of the conservative members to be eliminated in the next election. When we discussed our concerns with Senator Mike Jackson, we learned that the Senate always passes the House map and vice versa - it's tradition!
Tradition? The bottom line is that's a pretty poor cop out.
6. Where's the fire??
Very little business gets done in full view of the public and even fewer folks are paying attention. Bills are thrown up on the floor at a rapid fire pace in a constant drone from the clerk. Yes, there are thousands of bills but much of it is nonsense, such as commending Mildred for her 100th birthday, congratulating so and so on the birth of their first child, their 50th anniversary, their new dog, whatever! Meanwhile, the people's business is not getting done! There seems to be ZERO sense of urgency. Big issues languished in committees or Calendars while the House voted day in and day out on ridiculous stuff.
We were there on the last day of the House voting on House bills. You'd think they would be on fire with an urgency to pass every last bit of serious business they could get to before midnight, right? No, they passed one bill dealing with electronic bingo and the rest was garbage.
If you don't know already what's wrong with Austin, a recent article in the Dallas Morning News should give you more clues:
5. The Republicans can't blame anyone but themselves for their performance.
You are going to hear Republicans claim heroics for having to return for a special session. You will also hear Republicans blame Democrats for "chubbing" or killing legislation with technicalities before the deadline. Don't let them get away with it! They have to come back because their super-majority failed to take care of business in a timely manner. They could not even complete the emergency legislation Governor Perry assigned at the beginning of the session! There's nothing heroic about willful neglect or incompetence.
Look, the bottom line is the Republicans passed important legislation that was a no brainer. It's like calling Obama "gutsy" for sending the SEALs after bin Laden. Anyone would've made the same call and good on them for doing so, but they would've gotten creamed if they hadn't. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator folks, and if there is anything that drives these yahoos, it's self-preservation.
The real test is in what DIDN'T get passed.
4. We don't answer to special interest lobbies, and neither should our Reps!
Lobbysists live in Austin 'round the clock and spend every resource they have hammering home their agenda on these guys. When the House failed to pass E-Verify, a cornerstone bill to stem illegal immigration, we were told by Taylor's staff that the TAB - Texas Association of Business lobby - killed the legislation and if we had a problem with it we needed to take it up with them! NO. Wrong answer.
3. The Texas Senate is out of touch with regular Texans.
How is that possible when they are only in Austin 5 months every 2 years? Believe me, folks, they manage.
This excerpt from EmpowerTexans sums it up well:
2. Pledge Cards - the dirty inside secret of Austin politics.
This corrupt practice protects the power structure in Austin. Here's some background from the North Texas Tea Party: there has been a long-standing ‘tradition’ of pledge cards that has made selecting a Speaker nothing but a sham. The real backroom process is about as democratic as a mugging and is another tradition than needs to go away.
1. WE were right and our Reps were WRONG.
We were 100% right to oppose Joe Straus as Speaker of the House and all of our Reps were 100% wrong to support him. All of our warnings about Committee assignments, calendars, and procedures that killed conservative bills came true. What these Reps will tell you - and I want you to watch for it - is that "Hey, look at what we passed! You guys should be so happy." What they want you to do is look at what's in this hand so that you don't realize the other hand is empty. I'm telling you right now that approximately 30% of the conservative agenda has passed thus far. (We'll be updating this figure after the session ends with the final tally.) That's not nearly good enough.
SUMMARY: Let me leave you with this thought. The big bills that got passed are certainly a credit to the Republicans. But it is a paltry showing when they had the opportunity to do so much more - and PROMISED to do so much more to get elected. Passing 30% while leaving 70% on the table is unacceptable. We must demand more. We had a serious shot at a bold conservative agenda with an unprecedented super majority. But we were let down by our Reps who thought they knew better than us.
We don't need more of the same self-interested politicians worried about re-election, we need fearless leaders driven by their principles. When the issues get complicated and the pressure mounts, we have to know that the Reps we elect have a bedrock of uncompromising conservative principles.
Knowing what we know now, we are committed to vetting candidates for office for the 2012 primary. Principle matters above all! We don't want flowery words and empty promises - we want backbone and determination. We absolutely count on YOU folks to back conservatives that otherwise would not have a chance without your commitment.
It is imperative that we build a grassroots organization to support these efforts and it starts in your neighborhoods in your precincts. To that end, we need everyday folks to step and volunteer to become precinct chairs. We want to help you do this. We will help you determine your precinct by your address, and will help you with the 1-page application.
This is a call to action, folks. If you're interested, please email me at info@clearlaketeaparty.com, and we can talk further.
Thank you, Patriots!
Special thanks to Geri Bentley and Cheryl Johnson for training in how to get around Austin and lobby our own Representatives. And more special thanks to the dozens of patriots who spent long, arduous days going to and from Austin to confront our legislators with information, appeals, and calls to action. We all owe them our sincere gratitude for taking our concerns to the Capitol on our behalf.
During our Citizen Lobbyist Trips we were armed with our white papers outlining our conservative positions FOR or AGAINST specific bills. We would present these at every stop in the Capitol. We made a point of visiting the Governor's office, our Senators Mike Jackson and Dan Patrick, and any Representative who was involved in legislation we wanted to influence. And of course, we always dropped in on our own Reps who represent this area: Larry Taylor, John Davis, Randy Weber, Wayne Smith and sometimes even Democrat Craig Eiland! (FYI: you can see a graph of how they voted in the first 120 days of the session here.)
Here are the Top Twelve Things We Learned During the 82 Legislative Session:
12. For better or worse, you will be dealing mostly with your legislator's staff.
You can learn a lot about a legislator from the attitudes of his staff. People tend to surround themselves with like-minded folks, and staff is really an extension of the legislator. Some are rude and snotty, some are warm and welcoming. Sometimes, the legislative staffs will outright lie to you. More than once, when we asked if a legislator was in his office, his staff would say "No, he's not here." Then, while we're signing his guest book, wouldn't ya know, the Rep unwittingly traipsed out of a back room and right into our midst!
The key is to never forget that all these folks work for us. We always stayed polite but firm when presenting our cases to legislative staff.
11. Learn to translate Clintonese!
Speaking of untruths, be aware that the legislators will parse their language so carefully that what they are saying to you might only be true in that moment, under specific circumstances, but otherwise not true at all. This is truly Clintonian stuff, folks! The tip is here is DO NOT TRUST, and ALWAYS VERIFY.
10. Reps don't always cast their own votes.
The Reps vote to suspend a House Rule every session that requires them to cast their own votes on each piece of legislation. They will tell you it's so they can go to the restroom, each some lunch, negotiate with their peers, get to committee meetings. The reality is that on many days, a couple dozen or so Reps may vote for everyone. I'll leave that up to you to decide whether that's acceptable or not.
9. Committee chairmen will try and dodge citizen input in hearings.
Chairmen will drag out committee hearings so they can avoid hearing from work-a-day folks who are signed up to testify. They will even adjourn, knowing that folks have been waiting for hours, and then commence again at 10pm, when most folks have to go home to families and jobs. Just be ready for it! It's a game they play and your only option is to outlast 'em! Unfortunately, it is effective, because no one but those yahoos are getting paid to be there, and they know you have pressing responsibilities. If your testimony is imperative, you have to know ahead of time that sometimes you might be there all night!
8. These folks are NOT policy experts.
We are represented by folks elected from among us: insurance agents, business owners, attorneys, veterans, retirees, etc. They are not legislative geniuses. Many times the language of bills is written by staffers, consultants, or lobbyists, and the legislator slaps his name on it. Some of it is so poorly written, it's unenforceable, and sometimes it's so convoluted that it leaves loopholes of unintended consequences lurking in the muddled language. Worse, some legislators don't read the bills they vote on, unless they are directly involved as authors or sponsors. They rely on the expertise of the other Reps to know which way to vote. You know what that means? There is a very tiny niche of self-proclaimed experts making decisions for the entire deliberative body on issues within their purview. It is a self-perpetuating problem, and it needs watching!
That's why your letters, emails, and phone calls are so crucial. If you don't feed these guys info on important issues, folks, they will not know.
7. TRADITION!!!!!!
Sometimes bills are passed because "that's the way things have always been done." By now, most of you are already aware of the self-inflicted disaster of the Republican redistricting maps - at every level. As predicted, conservatives who had opposed Straus were paired against each other or drawn right out of their known districts. A more strongly conservative map (Cain/Nixon) was ignored and never made it to the floor for debate. The SBOE map set up some of the conservative members to be eliminated in the next election. When we discussed our concerns with Senator Mike Jackson, we learned that the Senate always passes the House map and vice versa - it's tradition!
Tradition? The bottom line is that's a pretty poor cop out.
6. Where's the fire??
Very little business gets done in full view of the public and even fewer folks are paying attention. Bills are thrown up on the floor at a rapid fire pace in a constant drone from the clerk. Yes, there are thousands of bills but much of it is nonsense, such as commending Mildred for her 100th birthday, congratulating so and so on the birth of their first child, their 50th anniversary, their new dog, whatever! Meanwhile, the people's business is not getting done! There seems to be ZERO sense of urgency. Big issues languished in committees or Calendars while the House voted day in and day out on ridiculous stuff.
We were there on the last day of the House voting on House bills. You'd think they would be on fire with an urgency to pass every last bit of serious business they could get to before midnight, right? No, they passed one bill dealing with electronic bingo and the rest was garbage.
If you don't know already what's wrong with Austin, a recent article in the Dallas Morning News should give you more clues:
AUSTIN — As lawmakers scramble to pass thousands of bills during the legislative session’s final weeks, one House committee wields the power to decide which legislation will see the light of day on the floor and which will die an unceremonious death.
Once a committee advances legislation, the Calendars Committee must then schedule it for floor debate. With a key House deadline looming, committee members are at the height of their power. To outsiders, the powerful 15-member group largely works in the shadows, shrouded by its esoteric procedures.
At the committee’s daily meetings, Chairman Todd Hunter rapidly lists off bills by their numbers, and committee members vote on whether to schedule the bill for a House vote. There is little discussion, and the meetings are so short that many committee members don’t even bother to take seats.
How the committee makes its final decisions, which bills out of the nearly 400 currently pending get a chance, and exactly what legislation they will stall or push is murky. The real action takes place among committee members, other legislators and lobbyists in private conversations.
The House speaker loads the committee with trusted allies who can advance the leadership’s agenda — and insulate him from criticism by members whose bills never get to the floor.In essence, there are two people who can veto a bill: the governor and the Chairman of House Calendars...
5. The Republicans can't blame anyone but themselves for their performance.
You are going to hear Republicans claim heroics for having to return for a special session. You will also hear Republicans blame Democrats for "chubbing" or killing legislation with technicalities before the deadline. Don't let them get away with it! They have to come back because their super-majority failed to take care of business in a timely manner. They could not even complete the emergency legislation Governor Perry assigned at the beginning of the session! There's nothing heroic about willful neglect or incompetence.
Look, the bottom line is the Republicans passed important legislation that was a no brainer. It's like calling Obama "gutsy" for sending the SEALs after bin Laden. Anyone would've made the same call and good on them for doing so, but they would've gotten creamed if they hadn't. Self-preservation is a powerful motivator folks, and if there is anything that drives these yahoos, it's self-preservation.
The real test is in what DIDN'T get passed.
4. We don't answer to special interest lobbies, and neither should our Reps!
Lobbysists live in Austin 'round the clock and spend every resource they have hammering home their agenda on these guys. When the House failed to pass E-Verify, a cornerstone bill to stem illegal immigration, we were told by Taylor's staff that the TAB - Texas Association of Business lobby - killed the legislation and if we had a problem with it we needed to take it up with them! NO. Wrong answer.
3. The Texas Senate is out of touch with regular Texans.
How is that possible when they are only in Austin 5 months every 2 years? Believe me, folks, they manage.
This excerpt from EmpowerTexans sums it up well:
Texas senators seem to believe they're members of an exclusive club, rather than elected public servants. Speaking for the club this week, State Sen. Steve Ogden (R-Bryan), chair of the Finance Committee, told the press it “has always been … pretty hard to penetrate the club, but these outside groups have done it and it’s making it hard to pass the [budget].”
Outsiders? That’s you, the voting taxpayer; the one paying their club dues. That’s the general sentiment inside the halls of the Senatorial Clubhouse.
Senators are dismayed that their budget scheme isn’t sailing through the chamber. It’s a spending plan that lives beyond the taxpayers’ means using one-time revenue gimmicks and tapping the rainy day fund. In conversations this week with senior senate leaders, I was struck by just how out of touch that chamber’s Republicans are with political reality. Senators and staffers – all Republicans – told me they fear being defeated by Democrats in November 2012 unless they break the bank.You know what that tells me, folks? They are worried about the WRONG VOTERS!
2. Pledge Cards - the dirty inside secret of Austin politics.
This corrupt practice protects the power structure in Austin. Here's some background from the North Texas Tea Party: there has been a long-standing ‘tradition’ of pledge cards that has made selecting a Speaker nothing but a sham. The real backroom process is about as democratic as a mugging and is another tradition than needs to go away.
Here’s how it really works. A seated Speaker has hordes of special interests slavering to do favors for the one individual that controls ALL legislation- and tens of billions in State spending. And they have VERY deep pockets for donating vast sums for campaigns. Toward the end of the session, the Speaker will approach each representative and ask for them to sign a pledge card, promising to support the Speaker for re-election in the NEXT session. And everyone KNOWS that donations and future committee assignments are tied to this decision. This last session, redistricting was also a weapon to be used and it was used to effectively eliminate opposition. Normally, a seated Speaker can get nearly all of his own party’s cards; they ALSO can get many for the opposing party, based on favorable committee assignments and- you can be assured- assistance at killing selective majority party legislation by letting it die in the committees controlled by the Speaker. The current session, in which the GOP had a super-majority, the vast majority of the conservative agenda - other than the budget - died this way.
In open seats, candidates parade down to Austin looking for donations for their runs. They are judged by the ‘powers that be’, on whether they are willing to ‘play the game’. In the majority party, that very often involves a willingness to sign a pre-election pledge card. Sign a pledge, and doors are opened and donations made.
The major problem with the raw exercise of political power is there is ZERO input by the electorate in this. They don’t wait for the office holder or candidates are validated by the voters; they don’t brook any input from the electorate after. This is the power of the ‘Austin machine’ and it is time to challenge that when it matters- BEFORE the session is out, BEFORE the election.
Mind you, much of that ‘machine is pretty conservative and that is the ONLY reason Texas is STILL in decent shape. But the constituency has amazing little say in events in Austin and that is one thing we of the Tea Parties need to help change. Both policy AND process matter.
1. WE were right and our Reps were WRONG.
We were 100% right to oppose Joe Straus as Speaker of the House and all of our Reps were 100% wrong to support him. All of our warnings about Committee assignments, calendars, and procedures that killed conservative bills came true. What these Reps will tell you - and I want you to watch for it - is that "Hey, look at what we passed! You guys should be so happy." What they want you to do is look at what's in this hand so that you don't realize the other hand is empty. I'm telling you right now that approximately 30% of the conservative agenda has passed thus far. (We'll be updating this figure after the session ends with the final tally.) That's not nearly good enough.
SUMMARY: Let me leave you with this thought. The big bills that got passed are certainly a credit to the Republicans. But it is a paltry showing when they had the opportunity to do so much more - and PROMISED to do so much more to get elected. Passing 30% while leaving 70% on the table is unacceptable. We must demand more. We had a serious shot at a bold conservative agenda with an unprecedented super majority. But we were let down by our Reps who thought they knew better than us.
We don't need more of the same self-interested politicians worried about re-election, we need fearless leaders driven by their principles. When the issues get complicated and the pressure mounts, we have to know that the Reps we elect have a bedrock of uncompromising conservative principles.
Knowing what we know now, we are committed to vetting candidates for office for the 2012 primary. Principle matters above all! We don't want flowery words and empty promises - we want backbone and determination. We absolutely count on YOU folks to back conservatives that otherwise would not have a chance without your commitment.
It is imperative that we build a grassroots organization to support these efforts and it starts in your neighborhoods in your precincts. To that end, we need everyday folks to step and volunteer to become precinct chairs. We want to help you do this. We will help you determine your precinct by your address, and will help you with the 1-page application.
This is a call to action, folks. If you're interested, please email me at info@clearlaketeaparty.com, and we can talk further.
Thank you, Patriots!
Call To Action!!
Please call your Rep and request that they DO NOT sign a Pledge Card to Speaker Joe Straus, but instead they should sign the Pledge to their constituents.
Here is the Pledge Card we've asked Reps to sign. We've had varying degrees of success with this, with some Rep reacting in full outrage that we even dare ask such a thing. Read the Pledge Card for yourself. Why would any Representative of the people have a problem with signing it???
Here is the Pledge Card we've asked Reps to sign. We've had varying degrees of success with this, with some Rep reacting in full outrage that we even dare ask such a thing. Read the Pledge Card for yourself. Why would any Representative of the people have a problem with signing it???
Monday, May 23, 2011
An Open Letter to the Members of the Texas House of Representatives
May 23, 2011
Re: The Corrupt "Pledge Card" System
Honorable Members:
As you know, the traditional "pledge card" system for electing the leadership of the Texas House has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. Under the "pledge card" system, members of the Texas State House are required to tender written pledges of loyalty to the current House leadership. Supporters of the "pledge card" system argue, among other things, that it is a time-honored process that maintains stability and continuity in House affairs from one session to the next. Critics of the pledge card system argue that it is nothing more than a mechanism for conveniently perpetuating the "good old boy network" in the State Capitol.
As you know, this controversy over the pledge card system precipitated an unprecedented vote in the Republican House Caucus prior to the 2011 Texas Legislative session. The controversy was brought on by the overwhelming call for new conservative leadership delivered in the 2010 midterm elections. As a result, Republican House legislators were forced into an unfortunate choice between the will of the people on the one hand and their 2009 "pledges" to the existing leadership on the other.
We the undersigned write to express our opinion, in the strongest possible terms, that the "pledge card" system, whatever its merits may have been at one time, has long since outlived its usefulness and has become a recipe for corruption and abuse.
It is our fervent belief, grounded in our core principles, that our elected public servants derive their authority from the people of Texas. Elected public servants owe their allegiance first to our federal and state constitutions, second to the people they represent and to none other. As an elected public servant, you have already pledged your loyalty to our constitutions and the people of Texas. You have no further allegiance to promise. Thus, you have no business whatsoever pledging loyalty as a public servant to any person or group. Every two years the People of Texas are free to elect a whole new House legislature if they so choose. Should our elected officials not have that same choice? It is against the principles of fair and free representation to lock in a pledge for the third highest office in Texas prior to a vote of the Texas people.
It is our fervent belief, grounded in our core principles, that our elected public servants derive their authority from the people of Texas. Elected public servants owe their allegiance first to our federal and state constitutions, second to the people they represent and to none other. As an elected public servant, you have already pledged your loyalty to our constitutions and the people of Texas. You have no further allegiance to promise. Thus, you have no business whatsoever pledging loyalty as a public servant to any person or group. Every two years the People of Texas are free to elect a whole new House legislature if they so choose. Should our elected officials not have that same choice? It is against the principles of fair and free representation to lock in a pledge for the third highest office in Texas prior to a vote of the Texas people.
Compounding this fundamental problem is the illicit appearance of the transaction. There is an understandable perception on the part of many Texans that any legislator who pledges his or her allegiance to the House leadership does so as a result of inducements. Even in the absence of an actual quid pro quo, there is the understandable appearance of a quid pro quo, and for the sake of appearances alone this system should have been abolished long ago.
Finally, we write to remind you that the offering of an inducement or a threat for a vote on the House leadership is not merely unethical. Offering inducements of any type "with the intent to influence a member of or candidate for the house of representatives in casting a vote for speaker of the house of representatives" is illegal under Section 302.032 of the Texas Government Code--and rightly so.
For the reasons set forth above, we implore you to refrain from pledging your loyalty to the House leadership and to retain your independence to represent the people of Texas. We look forward to your response to our letter, including your written assurance to the people of Texas that you will pledge your allegiance to your constituents, and to none other.
For Texas,
Jodi Maner, President, Amarillo Tea Party Patriots
Donna McClure, Organizer, South Texas Tea Party Network
Chris Bowling, Organizer, Laredo Tea Party
JoAnn Fleming, Chair, Advisory Committee to the TX Legislature's Tea Party Caucus and Executive Director, Grassroots America - We the People
Jodi Maner, President, Amarillo Tea Party Patriots
Donna McClure, Organizer, South Texas Tea Party Network
Chris Bowling, Organizer, Laredo Tea Party
JoAnn Fleming, Chair, Advisory Committee to the TX Legislature's Tea Party Caucus and Executive Director, Grassroots America - We the People
Cathy Meyer, Organizer, Irving/Coppell Tea Party
Michael Kinzie, Organizer, Lake Fork Tea Party
Michael Openshaw, Organizer, North Texas Tea Party
Karen White, Organizer, Dallas 75252 Neighborhood Tea Party
Ladaune Ashley, Alvin TEA Party Patriots, Inc.
Fred Skeen, Wichita Falls Tea Party Patriots
Brett Baldwin, North Texas Tea Party
Konni Burton, NE Tarrant Tea Party and Member, Texas Tea Party Caucus Advisory Committee
Ray Myers, Kaufman County Tea Party
Pamela Bell, San Patricio County Tea Party
Fred Skeen, Wichita Falls Tea Party Patriots
Brett Baldwin, North Texas Tea Party
Konni Burton, NE Tarrant Tea Party and Member, Texas Tea Party Caucus Advisory Committee
Ray Myers, Kaufman County Tea Party
Pamela Bell, San Patricio County Tea Party
Katrina Pierson, Organizer, Garland Tea Party and Member, Texas Tea Party Caucus Advisory Committee
Heidi Thiess, Communications Director, Veterans in Defense of Liberty- TX Chapter
Time to Fight the Pledge Card System
As you know, when we last visited Austin, we left a parting message with every Representative we met: DO NOT SIGN A PLEDGE CARD! We are visiting our reps one final time on Wednesday, May 25th, and will carry the same warning, including pledge cards that they can sign that pledge their loyalty to their constituents NOT to one man in the House. Please read below for more information.
Via the North Texas Tea Party
We need a BIG response to this call!
The following are some local State Reps email forms:
Larry Taylor
Randy Weber
John Davis
Wayne Smith
Via the North Texas Tea Party
If you need an understanding of how the Pledge Card system corrupts the electoral process, read this first.
With the legislative session coming to a close, you can rest assured that Joe Straus (whose incompetent/willful leadership resulted in over 70% of the Conservative agenda failing to reach the floor, even with a super-majority) will be busy hunting Pledge cards. This system, where pledges of support in the NEXT session are given and large donations materialize for the pledge givers is an abomination that needs to be contested, now! We need to demand that ANY officeholder or candidate we support or will vote for withhold signing ANY Pledge card until well AFTER the election, and to publicly commit to this. Refusing to do so will be taken as an affirmation that they have or intend to sign a pledge card before the electorate has had any say.
This campaign is in defense of the electorate and it’s ability to influence the leadership of the legislature, fighting the current situation where that leadership is purchased by interest groups and intimidation.
We need a BIG response to this call!
The following are some local State Reps email forms:
Larry Taylor
Randy Weber
John Davis
Wayne Smith
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Last Chance to Help HB12, the Anti-Sanctuary City Legislation!
On Saturday, a Senate committee restored the anti-sanctuary language to HB 12 that it had removed on May 18th. This gives the legislature one last opportunity to pass the measure but HB 12 must first get past two hurdles.
To be considered at this late date, the measure needs 21 votes (out of a total 31 Senators) in order to be heard on the Senate floor. Then it needs a simple majority to pass. Time is running out because the legislative session is expected to end on Saturday, May 21st.
Please call and email your Senator with the following message:
“I am a constituent who wants you to support the motion to proceed on HB 12 and to vote YES on the bill. Too many have been killed or suffered severe injury because sanctuary policies are allowed to continue.
A recent poll says that sixty-nine percent of Texans want a ban on sanctuary policies. Please stand with your constituents, not against us."
PLEASE MAKE YOUR CALLS RIGHT AWAY!
SENATORS:
Sen. John Carona 512-463-0116 512-463-3135 fax
Sen. Wendy Davis 512-463-0110 512-463-3745
Sen. Bob Deuell 512-463-0102 512-463-7202
Sen. Robert Duncan 512-463-0128 512-463-2424
Sen. Rodney Ellis 512-463-0113 512-463-0006
Sen. Kevin Eltife 512-463-0101 512-463-3751
Sen. Craig Estes 512-463-0130 512-463-8874
Sen. Troy Fraser 512-463-0124 512-463-3732
Sen. Mario Gallegos 512-463-0106 512-463-3732
Sen. Chris Harris 512-463-0109 512-463-7003
Sen. Glenn Hegar 512-463-0118 512-463-3736
Sen. Chuy Hinojosa 512-463-0120 512-463-0229
Sen. Joan Huffman 512-463-0117 512-463-0639
Sen. Mike Jackson 512-463-0111 512-463-3727
Sen. Eddie Lucio 512-463-0127 512-463-0061
Sen. Jane Nelson 512-463-0112 512-463-0923
Sen. Robert Nichols 512-463-0103 512-463-1526
Sen. Steve Ogden 512-463-0105 512-463-5713
Sen. Dan Patrick 512-463-0107 512-463-8810
Sen. Jose Rodriguez 512-463-0129 512-463-7100
Sen. Kel Seliger 512-463-0131 512-463-3733
Sen. Florence Shapiro 512-463-0108 512-463-7579
Sen. Carlos Uresti 512-463-0119 512-463-1017
Sen. L. Van De Putte 512-463-0126 512-463-2114
Sen. Kirk Watson 512-463-0114 512-463-5949
Sen. Jeff Wentworth 512-463-0125 512-463-7794
Sen. Royce West 512-463-0123 512-463-0299
Sen. John Whitmire 512-463-0115 512-463-3737
Sen. Tommy Williams 512-463-0104 512-463-6373
Sen. Judith Zaffirini 512-463-0121 512-463-3738
To be considered at this late date, the measure needs 21 votes (out of a total 31 Senators) in order to be heard on the Senate floor. Then it needs a simple majority to pass. Time is running out because the legislative session is expected to end on Saturday, May 21st.
Please call and email your Senator with the following message:
“I am a constituent who wants you to support the motion to proceed on HB 12 and to vote YES on the bill. Too many have been killed or suffered severe injury because sanctuary policies are allowed to continue.
A recent poll says that sixty-nine percent of Texans want a ban on sanctuary policies. Please stand with your constituents, not against us."
PLEASE MAKE YOUR CALLS RIGHT AWAY!
SENATORS:
Sen. John Carona 512-463-0116 512-463-3135 fax
Sen. Wendy Davis 512-463-0110 512-463-3745
Sen. Bob Deuell 512-463-0102 512-463-7202
Sen. Robert Duncan 512-463-0128 512-463-2424
Sen. Rodney Ellis 512-463-0113 512-463-0006
Sen. Kevin Eltife 512-463-0101 512-463-3751
Sen. Craig Estes 512-463-0130 512-463-8874
Sen. Troy Fraser 512-463-0124 512-463-3732
Sen. Mario Gallegos 512-463-0106 512-463-3732
Sen. Chris Harris 512-463-0109 512-463-7003
Sen. Glenn Hegar 512-463-0118 512-463-3736
Sen. Chuy Hinojosa 512-463-0120 512-463-0229
Sen. Joan Huffman 512-463-0117 512-463-0639
Sen. Mike Jackson 512-463-0111 512-463-3727
Sen. Eddie Lucio 512-463-0127 512-463-0061
Sen. Jane Nelson 512-463-0112 512-463-0923
Sen. Robert Nichols 512-463-0103 512-463-1526
Sen. Steve Ogden 512-463-0105 512-463-5713
Sen. Dan Patrick 512-463-0107 512-463-8810
Sen. Jose Rodriguez 512-463-0129 512-463-7100
Sen. Kel Seliger 512-463-0131 512-463-3733
Sen. Florence Shapiro 512-463-0108 512-463-7579
Sen. Carlos Uresti 512-463-0119 512-463-1017
Sen. L. Van De Putte 512-463-0126 512-463-2114
Sen. Kirk Watson 512-463-0114 512-463-5949
Sen. Jeff Wentworth 512-463-0125 512-463-7794
Sen. Royce West 512-463-0123 512-463-0299
Sen. John Whitmire 512-463-0115 512-463-3737
Sen. Tommy Williams 512-463-0104 512-463-6373
Sen. Judith Zaffirini 512-463-0121 512-463-3738
Friday, May 20, 2011
URGENT ACTION NEEDED TO PASS anti-SANCTUARY CITY LEGISLATION!
URGENT ACTION NEEDED
TODAY, TOMORROW & THIS WEEKEND
TO PASS SANCTUARY CITY LEGISLATION!
TODAY, TOMORROW & THIS WEEKEND
TO PASS SANCTUARY CITY LEGISLATION!
On 5/18/11 the Senate Transportation & Homeland Security Committee was to hear and vote on HB 12, the anti-sanctuary city legislation that Governor Perry said was an "emergency item" this session. Because of back door deals and disagreements between the House and Senate, SB 9 (which does not contain the needed provisions of HB 12) was substituted by the committee with the apparent blessing of the Commitee Chair, Sen. Tommy Williams and other Republicans. THIS CANNOT STAND!
WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME FOLKS - THE ONLY WAY THIS BILL GETS PASSED IS IF WE FLOOD THESE PEOPLE WITH CALLS (PREFERRABLY) & EMAILS. LEAVE MESSAGES IF NECESSARY BECAUSE THE ILLEGAL ALIENS & THEIR SUPPORTERS ARE SHOWING UP ENMASSE!
MOST IMPORTANTLY CONTACT THE COMMITTEE CHAIRS, CO-CHAIRS, COMMITTEE CLERKS, GOVERNOR PERRY, SPEAKER STRAUS, YOUR SENATOR & REPRESENTATIVE, & LT. GOV. DEWHURST!
Without going into the details of the tricks that are being played, this is the main message:
"Pass HB 12 this session to end the dangerous practice of providing sanctuary to illegal aliens in Texas. Law enforcement officers, citizens, and other residents (both legal and illegal) have been killed and suffered severe injury because criminal illegal aliens are being allowed to live in our communities (without fear). This "magnet" must end this session."
GOVERNOR RICK PERRY:
Citizen's Opinion Hotline [for Texas callers]:
(800) 252-9600
Office of the Governor Fax:
(512) 463-1849
Email Governor Perry (Select I'm Registering an Opinion)
http://governor.state.tx.us/contact/
SPEAKER JOE STRAUS:
(512) 463-1000
(512) 463-0675 Fax
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/email/?district=121&session=82
House Homeland Security & Public Safety Commitee:
All Numbers (512) Area Code
Clerk: Steven Schar - 463-0133
Chair: Rep. Sid Miller - 463-0628 sid.miller@house.state.tx.us
Vice Chair: Rep. Allen Fletcher - 463-0661 allen.fletcher@house.state.tx.us
Members: Rep. Marva Beck - 463-0508 marva.beck@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Lon Burnam - 463-0740 lon.burnam@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Joe Driver - 463-0574 joe.driver@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Dan Flynn - 463-0880 dan.flynn@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Barbara Mallory Caraway - 463-0664
http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/member-page/email/?district=110&session=82
Rep. Aaron Pena - 463-0426 aaron.pena@house.state.tx.us
Rep. Armando Walle - 463-0924 armando.walle@house.state.tx.us
Senate Committee: Transportation & Homeland Security
Clerk: Tulsi Reddy - 463-0067
Chair: Sen. Tommy Williams - 463-0104 / 512-463-6373 Fax
tommy.williams@senate.state.tx.us
Vice-Chair: Sen. Kirk Watson 512-463-0114 / 512-463-5949 Fax
kirk.watson@senate.state.tx.us
WHO REPRESENTS ME?: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
JOIN IRCOT ON FACEBOOK & spread the word then PLEASE.....
Thanks for JOINING FORCES WITH US and being engaged in this battle!
Visit our website at:
www.ircot.com
Summary of 4th Citizen Lobbyist Trip to Austin
Summary of 4th Citizen Lobbyist Trip to Austin
The first stop, as always, was Governor Perry’s reception office. The reception within the Governor’s ceremonial office is always very cool toward their seemingly unwelcome constituents. Of course, the Governor is never “in” or available to speak with constituents, at least not without being a “someone” with an appointment. We’re used to the attitude and ignore it, knowing it’s our right to be in his office telling him how to do his job.
Next, we dropped off a statement at Governor Perry’s business office. The staffer in the office recognized our group from previous lobbying trips and was very receptive. We took the opportunity to reiterate our stand on the SBOE redistricting map and requesting that Perry veto the map. We also delivered copies of the letter to his Constituency Communications office and to his policy advisor, Molly Rutledge.
Below is the text of our message to Governor Perry:
REASON FOR OUR VISIT:
As a Tea Party we have sent leadership and members to Austin for the past 4 weeks to lobby against HB600. We are extremely dissatisfied with the redistricting of the SBOE, as the map eliminates several very key conservative Board members. The elections of November 2010 sent a clear message of what your constituency expects in return for their support and votes and therefore we oppose HB600. We request that you VETO HB600.
We represent over 2000 members and last week our Citizen Lobbyists were joined in Austin by the Galveston County TP, the Pearland TP, and the San Antonio TP - representing over 10,000 conservative Texans in all. Together, we presented a white paper outlining our opposition to HB600 and requesting a veto. We delivered that statement to your office on Thursday, May 12th, and are following up with this document today on May 17th.
Next stop was Senator Dan Patrick’s office. We questioned him about P3s (private-public partnerships) especially with regards to foreign entities and funding infrastructure. He explained that to pay for new roads, there are only three sources of revenue: 1) hike the gas tax 2) tax per mile driven 3) toll roads financed by the company building it. Unfortunately, he explained that there is only one American company that can build toll roads. This needs to be researched because that sounds unbelievable. Only one? Apparently, that dearth of American companies leaves the job to foreign firms who can finance the infrastructure based upon payback from tolls. We need expert input on this issue.
We then visited Senator Mike Jackson in his office. We discussed the SBOE map with him and he stated that he spoke with Perry about the public call for Perry to veto the map. That’s interesting since he voted FOR it in the first place. It didn’t sound like he advised the Governor one way or the other, but discussed the situation.
We spoke with Jackson about the hazards of counting illegal aliens in the voting population and then using those skewed numbers in the redistricting considerations. He seemed unaware that illegal aliens were counted in redistricting. One of our members had testified earlier in the redistricting hearings and had confirmed with the demographer that there was no breakdown of Hispanic surnames into those that were legal citizens and those that were not. Senator Jackson appeared a little surprised to hear that his Texan constituency did not appreciate illegal aliens being included as voting public with rights to representation in the redistricting process. He also confirmed that he would vote for the House redistricting map (HB 150), against our advice, since that was “the way things had always traditionally been done”: the Senate rubber stamps the House map and vice versa.
Next, we made the rounds of all of the Senate members of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee in order to lobby for HB12, the anti-sanctuary city bill. Here is the text of our white paper that we left in each office:
REASON FOR OUR VISIT:
We understand that the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee is holding a public hearing on HB12 on May 18th. We transported a van of our Tea Party leadership and members to the Capitol today to inform you that our membership (2000+ members and growing) fully supports HB12, which would end “sanctuary cities” in Texas. It is important that you understand that we Texans support HB12 and want you to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote and we want you to vote in favor of HB12. We believe it is necessary for the safety of our communities, the solvency of out towns and cities, and the law and order of our State.
Please support HB12 and end “sanctuary cities” in Texas. We demand that our laws be enforced and our communities secured.
This letter was delivered to all the following Senate Members:
Tommy Williams (chairman)
Kirk Watson
Wendy Davis
Rodney Ellis
Chris Harris
Juan Hinojosa
Robert Nichols
Florence Shapiro
Jeff Wentworth
Also, copies were delivered to Senators Mike Jackson and Dan Patrick.
We then went and observed in the Senate gallery as they debated proposed amendments for SB31, the Senate redistricting map. The only topic under consideration was the race and ethnicity of the majority-minority districts in Tarrant County (via Sen. Wendy Davis, D).
After lunch, we visited Harris County area Representative Wayne Smith. We have not yet visited his office during this session, and since one of his constituents was with us today, we thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce him to the Clear Lake Tea Party. He was in the House Chambers, but we did visit with his friendly staff and sign his guest book.
We then spent quite a good bit of time visiting with the chief of staff for Rep. Leo Berman, specifically about the MOVE Act, which proposes to move Texas’ primary date. We believe we have some good connections that may offer some alternatives for ensuring military ballots are mailed and collected in a timely manner, as it is imperative that we not push back our primary date any further than it already is (in March). To the contrary, we really need to move Texas’ primary up to Super Tuesday (early February) in order for our large delegation to be counted in the nomination process.
Note: earlier in the day, we had already heard from Senator Jackson that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had threatened the Republican Party of Texas with sanctioning if they dared to try and move Texas’ primary to an earlier date. The national Party apparently threatened to withhold campaign funds from the State, but considering that Texas donated over 5 times the funds to the National Party that they received back in campaign funding, their threat to withhold that paltry sum is ridiculous. Note the heavy-handed threats from the national Party though.
Rep Leo Berman’s office is extremely welcoming to conservatives and we were treated with a great deal of friendliness and respect. It visiting countless legislative offices, it is quickly obvious that you can deduce the personality of a representative from the behavior of his staff, and Leo Bernam can be proud of his staff.
We next popped in on Rep. James White, the Tea Party freshman from East Texas. We wanted to meet him and encourage him to NOT sign a pledge card for Straus, and to reiterate our opposition to Straus and remind him that the Tea Parties across Texas were aligned to oppose Straus again in in the next session. We then thought it would be a good idea to impress that point upon all of the Reps we visited to dissuade them from signing a pledge card to Straus. That pledge card was the inside secret that caused so many of them to precipitously pledge their support to Straus at the end of the last session, and prior to the November elections. We are well aware that Straus promises Reps re-election funds and support in exchange for their pledge.
That led us to visit Larry Taylor’s office to encourage him to NOT sign a pledge card for Straus. We had been extremely disappointed in Larry Taylor’s support for Joe Straus, believing that it disadvantaged crucial legislation that was important to us. Therefore, it was only fair to stress our continued opposition to Straus, and to request that Taylor NOT sign a pledge to support Sraus for Speaker in 2013. We had quite a lengthy visit with one of Taylor’s legislative aides, Carrie, who defended Taylor’s record on the biggest votes, citing them in lieu of the other legislation that had gotten killed in Committees or Calendars.
Carrie also informed us that Texas Association of Business (TAB) had successfully lobbied the Republicans to kill the E-Verify bill (which the Tea Party was for). She advised us to turn our attentions to the lobbyists, but we told her that our Representives work for us, and that is who would get our attention.
We then went to Senator Duell’s office to drop off our statement on the SBOE map, and requested that he advise the Governor to veto the map.
We spent some time in the House gallery to observe the debate on SB 1811, which would allow the State to collect the small business franchise tax 9 months early in order to pay down the shortfall between the Senate and House budgets concerning education spending. We stand in direct opposition to SB 1811, and so we emailed Larry Taylor from the gallery, to ensure that he knew of our position on the matter and to solicit his vote in opposition. The vote should happen tomorrow on May 18th.
The Senate had recessed earlier in the day around 1pm and the House adjourned at 5pm until 10am tomorrow. Before we left Austin, we stopped for dinner and saw many Republican representative members of the Texas Conservative Caucus (TCC) meet at the restaurant with some lobbyists. It was interesting to note who was there and who was not.
Along the way, we lobbied in favor of the Health Care Compact with any of the relevant legislators we spoke to. Also, we discovered the that anti-“sharia law” legislation (HB 911) had been amended to a weaker House bill (274) which was getting some resistance in the Senate and therefore looked like it was going to die. This is unfortunate, because HB 911 was a strong bill and likely to pass on its own merits, without being dragged down by HB 274. We found this out towards the end of the day and tried to get more information, but just ran out of time. This topic will be worth following up on.
The next Citizen Lobbyist trip to Austin is scheduled for Wednesday, 25 May.
The first stop, as always, was Governor Perry’s reception office. The reception within the Governor’s ceremonial office is always very cool toward their seemingly unwelcome constituents. Of course, the Governor is never “in” or available to speak with constituents, at least not without being a “someone” with an appointment. We’re used to the attitude and ignore it, knowing it’s our right to be in his office telling him how to do his job.
Next, we dropped off a statement at Governor Perry’s business office. The staffer in the office recognized our group from previous lobbying trips and was very receptive. We took the opportunity to reiterate our stand on the SBOE redistricting map and requesting that Perry veto the map. We also delivered copies of the letter to his Constituency Communications office and to his policy advisor, Molly Rutledge.
Below is the text of our message to Governor Perry:
REASON FOR OUR VISIT:
As a Tea Party we have sent leadership and members to Austin for the past 4 weeks to lobby against HB600. We are extremely dissatisfied with the redistricting of the SBOE, as the map eliminates several very key conservative Board members. The elections of November 2010 sent a clear message of what your constituency expects in return for their support and votes and therefore we oppose HB600. We request that you VETO HB600.
We represent over 2000 members and last week our Citizen Lobbyists were joined in Austin by the Galveston County TP, the Pearland TP, and the San Antonio TP - representing over 10,000 conservative Texans in all. Together, we presented a white paper outlining our opposition to HB600 and requesting a veto. We delivered that statement to your office on Thursday, May 12th, and are following up with this document today on May 17th.
Next stop was Senator Dan Patrick’s office. We questioned him about P3s (private-public partnerships) especially with regards to foreign entities and funding infrastructure. He explained that to pay for new roads, there are only three sources of revenue: 1) hike the gas tax 2) tax per mile driven 3) toll roads financed by the company building it. Unfortunately, he explained that there is only one American company that can build toll roads. This needs to be researched because that sounds unbelievable. Only one? Apparently, that dearth of American companies leaves the job to foreign firms who can finance the infrastructure based upon payback from tolls. We need expert input on this issue.
We then visited Senator Mike Jackson in his office. We discussed the SBOE map with him and he stated that he spoke with Perry about the public call for Perry to veto the map. That’s interesting since he voted FOR it in the first place. It didn’t sound like he advised the Governor one way or the other, but discussed the situation.
We spoke with Jackson about the hazards of counting illegal aliens in the voting population and then using those skewed numbers in the redistricting considerations. He seemed unaware that illegal aliens were counted in redistricting. One of our members had testified earlier in the redistricting hearings and had confirmed with the demographer that there was no breakdown of Hispanic surnames into those that were legal citizens and those that were not. Senator Jackson appeared a little surprised to hear that his Texan constituency did not appreciate illegal aliens being included as voting public with rights to representation in the redistricting process. He also confirmed that he would vote for the House redistricting map (HB 150), against our advice, since that was “the way things had always traditionally been done”: the Senate rubber stamps the House map and vice versa.
Next, we made the rounds of all of the Senate members of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee in order to lobby for HB12, the anti-sanctuary city bill. Here is the text of our white paper that we left in each office:
REASON FOR OUR VISIT:
We understand that the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee is holding a public hearing on HB12 on May 18th. We transported a van of our Tea Party leadership and members to the Capitol today to inform you that our membership (2000+ members and growing) fully supports HB12, which would end “sanctuary cities” in Texas. It is important that you understand that we Texans support HB12 and want you to send the bill to the Senate floor for a vote and we want you to vote in favor of HB12. We believe it is necessary for the safety of our communities, the solvency of out towns and cities, and the law and order of our State.
Please support HB12 and end “sanctuary cities” in Texas. We demand that our laws be enforced and our communities secured.
This letter was delivered to all the following Senate Members:
Tommy Williams (chairman)
Kirk Watson
Wendy Davis
Rodney Ellis
Chris Harris
Juan Hinojosa
Robert Nichols
Florence Shapiro
Jeff Wentworth
Also, copies were delivered to Senators Mike Jackson and Dan Patrick.
We then went and observed in the Senate gallery as they debated proposed amendments for SB31, the Senate redistricting map. The only topic under consideration was the race and ethnicity of the majority-minority districts in Tarrant County (via Sen. Wendy Davis, D).
After lunch, we visited Harris County area Representative Wayne Smith. We have not yet visited his office during this session, and since one of his constituents was with us today, we thought it would be a great opportunity to introduce him to the Clear Lake Tea Party. He was in the House Chambers, but we did visit with his friendly staff and sign his guest book.
We then spent quite a good bit of time visiting with the chief of staff for Rep. Leo Berman, specifically about the MOVE Act, which proposes to move Texas’ primary date. We believe we have some good connections that may offer some alternatives for ensuring military ballots are mailed and collected in a timely manner, as it is imperative that we not push back our primary date any further than it already is (in March). To the contrary, we really need to move Texas’ primary up to Super Tuesday (early February) in order for our large delegation to be counted in the nomination process.
Note: earlier in the day, we had already heard from Senator Jackson that the Republican National Committee (RNC) had threatened the Republican Party of Texas with sanctioning if they dared to try and move Texas’ primary to an earlier date. The national Party apparently threatened to withhold campaign funds from the State, but considering that Texas donated over 5 times the funds to the National Party that they received back in campaign funding, their threat to withhold that paltry sum is ridiculous. Note the heavy-handed threats from the national Party though.
Rep Leo Berman’s office is extremely welcoming to conservatives and we were treated with a great deal of friendliness and respect. It visiting countless legislative offices, it is quickly obvious that you can deduce the personality of a representative from the behavior of his staff, and Leo Bernam can be proud of his staff.
We next popped in on Rep. James White, the Tea Party freshman from East Texas. We wanted to meet him and encourage him to NOT sign a pledge card for Straus, and to reiterate our opposition to Straus and remind him that the Tea Parties across Texas were aligned to oppose Straus again in in the next session. We then thought it would be a good idea to impress that point upon all of the Reps we visited to dissuade them from signing a pledge card to Straus. That pledge card was the inside secret that caused so many of them to precipitously pledge their support to Straus at the end of the last session, and prior to the November elections. We are well aware that Straus promises Reps re-election funds and support in exchange for their pledge.
That led us to visit Larry Taylor’s office to encourage him to NOT sign a pledge card for Straus. We had been extremely disappointed in Larry Taylor’s support for Joe Straus, believing that it disadvantaged crucial legislation that was important to us. Therefore, it was only fair to stress our continued opposition to Straus, and to request that Taylor NOT sign a pledge to support Sraus for Speaker in 2013. We had quite a lengthy visit with one of Taylor’s legislative aides, Carrie, who defended Taylor’s record on the biggest votes, citing them in lieu of the other legislation that had gotten killed in Committees or Calendars.
Carrie also informed us that Texas Association of Business (TAB) had successfully lobbied the Republicans to kill the E-Verify bill (which the Tea Party was for). She advised us to turn our attentions to the lobbyists, but we told her that our Representives work for us, and that is who would get our attention.
We then went to Senator Duell’s office to drop off our statement on the SBOE map, and requested that he advise the Governor to veto the map.
We spent some time in the House gallery to observe the debate on SB 1811, which would allow the State to collect the small business franchise tax 9 months early in order to pay down the shortfall between the Senate and House budgets concerning education spending. We stand in direct opposition to SB 1811, and so we emailed Larry Taylor from the gallery, to ensure that he knew of our position on the matter and to solicit his vote in opposition. The vote should happen tomorrow on May 18th.
The Senate had recessed earlier in the day around 1pm and the House adjourned at 5pm until 10am tomorrow. Before we left Austin, we stopped for dinner and saw many Republican representative members of the Texas Conservative Caucus (TCC) meet at the restaurant with some lobbyists. It was interesting to note who was there and who was not.
Along the way, we lobbied in favor of the Health Care Compact with any of the relevant legislators we spoke to. Also, we discovered the that anti-“sharia law” legislation (HB 911) had been amended to a weaker House bill (274) which was getting some resistance in the Senate and therefore looked like it was going to die. This is unfortunate, because HB 911 was a strong bill and likely to pass on its own merits, without being dragged down by HB 274. We found this out towards the end of the day and tried to get more information, but just ran out of time. This topic will be worth following up on.
The next Citizen Lobbyist trip to Austin is scheduled for Wednesday, 25 May.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Governor Perry, please stand with us.
This is the message that this powerful video made by Texas conservatives is sending out not only to Gov. Perry but to all of our Texas Legislators.
Today’s video is Pt. 1 with more to follow from Texas’ conservative leaders:
We will not go away, and our numbers are growing with each new outrage during this Legislative Session. The elections of 2012 are just around the corner, and we will not forget those Legislators who stood with us and those who stood against us.
Donna Garner
Today’s video is Pt. 1 with more to follow from Texas’ conservative leaders:
We will not go away, and our numbers are growing with each new outrage during this Legislative Session. The elections of 2012 are just around the corner, and we will not forget those Legislators who stood with us and those who stood against us.
Donna Garner
Monday, May 9, 2011
Background on SBOE Vote
“A Vote for the Record Book”
by Donna Garner
5.5.11
*Today’s vote on HB 600 (State Board of Education/E120 redistricting map) will be one of the prime votes by which conservatives rank candidates when it comes time for the 2012 elections.
THIS AFTERNOON
In spite of our pleas to our Texas Legislators, they have managed to pass one of the most dastardly bills to come out of this session because if left to stand, the Texas State Board of Education redistricting map will negatively impact what happens to our public schools for ten years to come.
The House took a record vote today on HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120/SBOE redistricting map) and concurred with the Senate.
The vote in the House today was 80 yeas, 61 nays, 3 present not voting, 2 absent excused, and 4 absent.
The representatives who voted against the dastardly HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) in the House this afternoon were Allen; Alonzo; Alvarado; Anchia; Berman; Burnam; Cain; Christian; Coleman; Davis, Y.; Dutton; Eiland; Farias; Farrar; Flynn; Gonzales, V.; Gonzalez; Guillen; Gutierrez; Harper-Brown; Hernandez Luna; Hochberg; Howard, D.; Hughes; Johnson; King, P.; King, T.; Landtroop; Larson; Laubenberg; Lozano; Lucio; Mallory Caraway; Margo; Marquez; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McClendon; Menendez; Miles; Muñoz; Naishtat; Oliveira; Paxton; Perry; Pickett; Quintanilla; Raymond; Reynolds; Rodriguez; Simpson; Taylor, L.; Taylor, V.; Thompson; Truitt; Veasey; Villarreal; Vo; Walle; White; Zedler.
Please take time to thank these courageous representatives who voted against HB 600.
When HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) was passed in the Senate on 4.29.11, the only two Senators who voted against it were Sen. Brian Birdwell and Sen. Dan Patrick. Please take time to thank both Sen. Birdwell and Sen. Patrick.
You can go here and click on “Record Vote -- 5.5.11” to see for yourself how the House members voted:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Actions.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB600
Now HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) has been sent to Gov. Perry’s desk.
We have a chance to stop this bill. I beg of you to call Gov. Perry and tell him that we want him to veto HB 600 and announce a Special Session to produce a fair and equitable SBOE map, honoring the conservative voting patterns reflected on Nov. 2, 2010.
Gov. Perry is one of the most conservative Governors in the entire United States. I believe he will listen to us if we make our voices heard.
Gov. Perry’s phone numbers: 1-800-252-9600; 512-463-1782; 512-463-2000
Gov. Perry’s e-mail address: http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/assistance.aspx
GOV. PERRY’S THREE OPTIONS
Gov. Perry also has three options that are open to him by law:
(1) Gov. Perry can SIGN the SBOE bill as presented to him.
(2) Gov. Perry can veto the bill as presented to him, but then the map would go to the courts to decide the SBOE redistricting map.
(3) Gov. Perry can veto the bill as presented to him AND CALL A SPECIAL SESSION for the purpose of coming up with an acceptable map that he would sign.
==================================
“We the People Showed up in Austin Yesterday”
by Donna Garner
5.5.11
http://alicelinahan.net/2011/05/05/governor-perry-stand-with-us-we-the-people-showed-up-in-austin-yesterday/
Yesterday 24 conservative leaders from all across Texas drove hundreds of miles at their own expense and on their own time to go to Austin to meet with the Texas Attorney General’s (TAG) office.
These 24 conservative leaders were tea party and/or Republican activists who represent thousands of other Texas conservatives who have become totally frustrated with our Texas legislature.
Most of the people who came to the meeting had taken personal leave or had left their own businesses to spend the entire day in Austin, not going to fancy malls and eating at exotic-sounding restaurants but instead to do the grunt work of strategizing for the remainder of this legislative session and for the elections of 2012. (You will soon see visual evidence of our hard work.)
These conservative leaders have already begun spending the hours required to vet candidates for 2012, and they shared their ongoing results yesterday. We want to make sure that the ever-growing conservative numbers of Texas voters are not fooled in the next election by those who run as conservatives and then legislate as left-leaning Republicans-in-Name-Only (RINO’s) as we have seen in this present legislature.
OVER 3,500 SIGNATURES ON OUR PETITION
One of the things that we did was to present our petition that held over 3,500 names, gathered in only 6 days. This was the petition that voiced Texas citizens’ passionate displeasure over the redistricting process that we have seen thus far by the Texas Legislature. The redistricting process will determine the direction in which Texas will go for the next ten years!
Next stop for the petition is Gov. Perry’s office. It is not too late for other concerned citizens to sign the petition at:
http://austinreteaparty.com/Signthepetition.aspx
by Donna Garner
5.5.11
*Today’s vote on HB 600 (State Board of Education/E120 redistricting map) will be one of the prime votes by which conservatives rank candidates when it comes time for the 2012 elections.
THIS AFTERNOON
In spite of our pleas to our Texas Legislators, they have managed to pass one of the most dastardly bills to come out of this session because if left to stand, the Texas State Board of Education redistricting map will negatively impact what happens to our public schools for ten years to come.
The House took a record vote today on HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120/SBOE redistricting map) and concurred with the Senate.
The vote in the House today was 80 yeas, 61 nays, 3 present not voting, 2 absent excused, and 4 absent.
The representatives who voted against the dastardly HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) in the House this afternoon were Allen; Alonzo; Alvarado; Anchia; Berman; Burnam; Cain; Christian; Coleman; Davis, Y.; Dutton; Eiland; Farias; Farrar; Flynn; Gonzales, V.; Gonzalez; Guillen; Gutierrez; Harper-Brown; Hernandez Luna; Hochberg; Howard, D.; Hughes; Johnson; King, P.; King, T.; Landtroop; Larson; Laubenberg; Lozano; Lucio; Mallory Caraway; Margo; Marquez; Martinez; Martinez Fischer; McClendon; Menendez; Miles; Muñoz; Naishtat; Oliveira; Paxton; Perry; Pickett; Quintanilla; Raymond; Reynolds; Rodriguez; Simpson; Taylor, L.; Taylor, V.; Thompson; Truitt; Veasey; Villarreal; Vo; Walle; White; Zedler.
Please take time to thank these courageous representatives who voted against HB 600.
When HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) was passed in the Senate on 4.29.11, the only two Senators who voted against it were Sen. Brian Birdwell and Sen. Dan Patrick. Please take time to thank both Sen. Birdwell and Sen. Patrick.
You can go here and click on “Record Vote -- 5.5.11” to see for yourself how the House members voted:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/Actions.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB600
Now HB 600 (Sen. Seliger’s rogue E120) has been sent to Gov. Perry’s desk.
We have a chance to stop this bill. I beg of you to call Gov. Perry and tell him that we want him to veto HB 600 and announce a Special Session to produce a fair and equitable SBOE map, honoring the conservative voting patterns reflected on Nov. 2, 2010.
Gov. Perry is one of the most conservative Governors in the entire United States. I believe he will listen to us if we make our voices heard.
Gov. Perry’s phone numbers: 1-800-252-9600; 512-463-1782; 512-463-2000
Gov. Perry’s e-mail address: http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/assistance.aspx
GOV. PERRY’S THREE OPTIONS
Gov. Perry also has three options that are open to him by law:
(1) Gov. Perry can SIGN the SBOE bill as presented to him.
(2) Gov. Perry can veto the bill as presented to him, but then the map would go to the courts to decide the SBOE redistricting map.
(3) Gov. Perry can veto the bill as presented to him AND CALL A SPECIAL SESSION for the purpose of coming up with an acceptable map that he would sign.
==================================
“We the People Showed up in Austin Yesterday”
by Donna Garner
5.5.11
http://alicelinahan.net/2011/05/05/governor-perry-stand-with-us-we-the-people-showed-up-in-austin-yesterday/
Yesterday 24 conservative leaders from all across Texas drove hundreds of miles at their own expense and on their own time to go to Austin to meet with the Texas Attorney General’s (TAG) office.
These 24 conservative leaders were tea party and/or Republican activists who represent thousands of other Texas conservatives who have become totally frustrated with our Texas legislature.
Most of the people who came to the meeting had taken personal leave or had left their own businesses to spend the entire day in Austin, not going to fancy malls and eating at exotic-sounding restaurants but instead to do the grunt work of strategizing for the remainder of this legislative session and for the elections of 2012. (You will soon see visual evidence of our hard work.)
These conservative leaders have already begun spending the hours required to vet candidates for 2012, and they shared their ongoing results yesterday. We want to make sure that the ever-growing conservative numbers of Texas voters are not fooled in the next election by those who run as conservatives and then legislate as left-leaning Republicans-in-Name-Only (RINO’s) as we have seen in this present legislature.
OVER 3,500 SIGNATURES ON OUR PETITION
One of the things that we did was to present our petition that held over 3,500 names, gathered in only 6 days. This was the petition that voiced Texas citizens’ passionate displeasure over the redistricting process that we have seen thus far by the Texas Legislature. The redistricting process will determine the direction in which Texas will go for the next ten years!
Next stop for the petition is Gov. Perry’s office. It is not too late for other concerned citizens to sign the petition at:
http://austinreteaparty.com/Signthepetition.aspx
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Priority Action Items!
Read this behind the scenes update from Immigration Reform Coalition of Texas (IRCOT)...
On Monday all Conservative Bills will be dead in the Texas House unless the Calendars Committee hears from you today! You can be sure the other side is burning up the phone lines!
THE 3 TOP PRIORITY ITEMS AND CORRESPONDING ACTION YOU MUST TAKE IN THIS ORDER:
1. CALL THE CALENDARS COMMITTEE ON THESE 3 BILLS
HB 3252 This was the only E-Verify bill that passed out of committee & it is the most important bill!
HB 301 English as the Official Language.
HB 911 Prohibition on application of foreign laws.
Call the Calendars Committee at 512-463-0758. Tell them you want them to vote YES for these bills quickly to meet the Monday deadline.
Tell them Citizens do not want to compete with illegal aliens for Texas jobs and you, Our sovereignty, must be their priority!
2. HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City. Call your State Rep and ask them to vote YES for HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City on Monday when it returns to the floor.
3. HB 608 Cost of benefits for illegal aliens. Call your State Rep and ask them to support this bill when it comes to the floor on Tuesday!
_______________________________________________________________
2ND TIER OF PRIORITY LEGISLATION
Amazingly, 4 GOOD BILLS and 1 BAD BILL on illegal immigration are sitting in THE Calendars Committee from our 2nd Tier of important legislation.
ON MONDAY ALL BILLS WILL DIE!
We ask that you CALL the calendars committee to vote YES TO THESE BILLS BEFORE THE DEADLINE.
HB 911 Application of Foreign Laws and Forums in the State
HB 875 Identifying illegal aliens prior to granting bail
HB 892 Unlawful transport of illegal aliens
HJR 86 Constitutional Amendment to deny bail to illegal aliens arrested on a felony
VOTE NO TO KILL THIS BILL:
HCR 88 Calling on Congress, Senate, the President to fix the immigration system using a comprehensive immigration reform solution.
______________________________________________________________
After viewing the proceedings on the House Floor today and throughout this past week, it is clear that the House leadership is not up to the task of defending conservative legislation. During the debates on the House floor, liberals are relentless in using procedural rules to stymie the unprepared House leadership. Frankly it is an embarrassment. But they believe that everything they do occurs in a vacuum, and no one will notice. We must let them know we are watching.
NOW IS THE TIME TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WHEN THEY SAID THE TEA PARTY WAS DEAD AND GONE - WE ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE AND WATCHING EVERY MOVE!
We have the opportunity to call them on their shortcomings and demand something be done. I urge you to call your State Representatives and the Speaker's office and demand they bring in a parliamentary expert to defend their own bills because it's obvious either they don't have the ability to do so, or they don't want to.
Your Action Item:
Call your State Representative & the Speaker of the House.
Tell them you are watching the liberals continually kill conservative bills over minor procedural moves. It is obvious to you that House leadership must bring in another parliamentary expert who has the ability to deal with the liberals' procedural moves. They do not have the expertise within their current team.
House Speaker Joe Straus 512-463-1000
State Rep Doug Miller 512-463-0325
___________________________________________________________
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE LEGISLATURE...
HB 12 was brought down Friday night by a questionable point of order and sent back to the State Affairs Committee. The Bill will come back to the House floor on Monday for a vote. If Straus does not bring on a strong parliamentary expert we are doomed to have the same thing happen.
HB 608 is now out of Calendars Committee and is scheduled for first reading on Tuesday, May 10th.
HB 3252 was voted out of State Affairs Committee last night and is moving on to Calendars. The bill is not out of danger, however. If the Calendars Committee chaired by Todd Hunter does not move it out immediately the bill is dead. Calls must go to the Calendars Committee over the weekend urging them to pass the bill and get it scheduled for a floor vote.
HCR 88 Is a resolution calling for Congress, Senate, and the President to fix the broken imigration system with comprehensive immigration reform, or amnesy light. With the mandate conservatives gave Republicans this past November, it is outrageous that Republicans in the State House would send a mandate to this administration for anything other than eliminating magnets which draw illegal aliens to the state and addressing the violence which our open borders allow. Please call the Calendars Committee and tell them you are against HCR 88.
_____________________________________________________
RECAP OF ACTION ITEMS
FIRST PRIORITY:
1) CALL THE CALENDARS COMMITTEE ON THESE 3 BILLS:
HB 3252 Only E-Verify bill passed out of committee & the
most important bill this session!
HB 301 English as the Official Language.
HB 911 Prohibition on application of foreign laws.
2) HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City. Call your State Rep and ask them to vote for HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City on Monday when it returns to the floor.
3) HB 608 Cost of benefits for illegal aliens. Call your State Rep and ask them to support this bill when it comes to the floor on Tuesday!
SECOND PRIORITY:
4) Call the Speaker's office & your State Rep urging them to bring in a parliamentary expert to defend conservative legislation on the House floor.
5) Call your State Representative and tell them to support HB 1129, HB 608, and HB 804 when they come up on the House floor.
6) Call the Calendars Committee office and tell them to VOTE FOR HB 875, HB 892, HJR 86.
7) Call the Calendars Committee office and tell them to VOTE AGAINST HCR 88.
House Speaker Joe Straus 512-463-1000 office 512-463-0675 fax
Calendars Committee 512-463-0758 office
State Rep Doug Miller 512-463-0325 office
or find your State Representative http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
On Monday all Conservative Bills will be dead in the Texas House unless the Calendars Committee hears from you today! You can be sure the other side is burning up the phone lines!
THE 3 TOP PRIORITY ITEMS AND CORRESPONDING ACTION YOU MUST TAKE IN THIS ORDER:
1. CALL THE CALENDARS COMMITTEE ON THESE 3 BILLS
HB 3252 This was the only E-Verify bill that passed out of committee & it is the most important bill!
HB 301 English as the Official Language.
HB 911 Prohibition on application of foreign laws.
Call the Calendars Committee at 512-463-0758. Tell them you want them to vote YES for these bills quickly to meet the Monday deadline.
Tell them Citizens do not want to compete with illegal aliens for Texas jobs and you, Our sovereignty, must be their priority!
2. HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City. Call your State Rep and ask them to vote YES for HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City on Monday when it returns to the floor.
3. HB 608 Cost of benefits for illegal aliens. Call your State Rep and ask them to support this bill when it comes to the floor on Tuesday!
_______________________________________________________________
2ND TIER OF PRIORITY LEGISLATION
Amazingly, 4 GOOD BILLS and 1 BAD BILL on illegal immigration are sitting in THE Calendars Committee from our 2nd Tier of important legislation.
ON MONDAY ALL BILLS WILL DIE!
We ask that you CALL the calendars committee to vote YES TO THESE BILLS BEFORE THE DEADLINE.
HB 911 Application of Foreign Laws and Forums in the State
HB 875 Identifying illegal aliens prior to granting bail
HB 892 Unlawful transport of illegal aliens
HJR 86 Constitutional Amendment to deny bail to illegal aliens arrested on a felony
VOTE NO TO KILL THIS BILL:
HCR 88 Calling on Congress, Senate, the President to fix the immigration system using a comprehensive immigration reform solution.
______________________________________________________________
After viewing the proceedings on the House Floor today and throughout this past week, it is clear that the House leadership is not up to the task of defending conservative legislation. During the debates on the House floor, liberals are relentless in using procedural rules to stymie the unprepared House leadership. Frankly it is an embarrassment. But they believe that everything they do occurs in a vacuum, and no one will notice. We must let them know we are watching.
NOW IS THE TIME TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WHEN THEY SAID THE TEA PARTY WAS DEAD AND GONE - WE ARE VERY MUCH ALIVE AND WATCHING EVERY MOVE!
We have the opportunity to call them on their shortcomings and demand something be done. I urge you to call your State Representatives and the Speaker's office and demand they bring in a parliamentary expert to defend their own bills because it's obvious either they don't have the ability to do so, or they don't want to.
Your Action Item:
Call your State Representative & the Speaker of the House.
Tell them you are watching the liberals continually kill conservative bills over minor procedural moves. It is obvious to you that House leadership must bring in another parliamentary expert who has the ability to deal with the liberals' procedural moves. They do not have the expertise within their current team.
House Speaker Joe Straus 512-463-1000
State Rep Doug Miller 512-463-0325
___________________________________________________________
BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE LEGISLATURE...
HB 12 was brought down Friday night by a questionable point of order and sent back to the State Affairs Committee. The Bill will come back to the House floor on Monday for a vote. If Straus does not bring on a strong parliamentary expert we are doomed to have the same thing happen.
HB 608 is now out of Calendars Committee and is scheduled for first reading on Tuesday, May 10th.
HB 3252 was voted out of State Affairs Committee last night and is moving on to Calendars. The bill is not out of danger, however. If the Calendars Committee chaired by Todd Hunter does not move it out immediately the bill is dead. Calls must go to the Calendars Committee over the weekend urging them to pass the bill and get it scheduled for a floor vote.
HCR 88 Is a resolution calling for Congress, Senate, and the President to fix the broken imigration system with comprehensive immigration reform, or amnesy light. With the mandate conservatives gave Republicans this past November, it is outrageous that Republicans in the State House would send a mandate to this administration for anything other than eliminating magnets which draw illegal aliens to the state and addressing the violence which our open borders allow. Please call the Calendars Committee and tell them you are against HCR 88.
_____________________________________________________
RECAP OF ACTION ITEMS
FIRST PRIORITY:
1) CALL THE CALENDARS COMMITTEE ON THESE 3 BILLS:
HB 3252 Only E-Verify bill passed out of committee & the
most important bill this session!
HB 301 English as the Official Language.
HB 911 Prohibition on application of foreign laws.
2) HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City. Call your State Rep and ask them to vote for HB 12 Anti-Sanctuary City on Monday when it returns to the floor.
3) HB 608 Cost of benefits for illegal aliens. Call your State Rep and ask them to support this bill when it comes to the floor on Tuesday!
SECOND PRIORITY:
4) Call the Speaker's office & your State Rep urging them to bring in a parliamentary expert to defend conservative legislation on the House floor.
5) Call your State Representative and tell them to support HB 1129, HB 608, and HB 804 when they come up on the House floor.
6) Call the Calendars Committee office and tell them to VOTE FOR HB 875, HB 892, HJR 86.
7) Call the Calendars Committee office and tell them to VOTE AGAINST HCR 88.
House Speaker Joe Straus 512-463-1000 office 512-463-0675 fax
Calendars Committee 512-463-0758 office
State Rep Doug Miller 512-463-0325 office
or find your State Representative http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/
Monday, May 2, 2011
Summary of 1st Austin Van Trip
By Robert Gonzalez
Dear Patriots,
On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the Clear Lake Tea Party sponsored a van trip to Austin. The purpose of the trip was to lobby elected officials and encourage them to move bills that have been held up in different committees, i.e. Calendars & State Affairs. The bills in question were related to immigration reform.
We also discussed the recent vote by the House on redistricting. The redistricting plan didn’t go as we had expected. The “Solomons Redistricting Map” was the only one debated, amended and voted on. This will force incumbent Republican lawmakers to be paired against each other in the upcoming primary races. There was a more favorable plan, “The Nixon Map”, but it never saw the light of day.
We enjoyed many face to face discussions with lawmakers and their staff and on almost all occasions, we were treated warmly. During our conversation with the staff, many of them made a special mention that we needed to make frequent visits. This is to counter the bombardment of emails and special interest groups (lobbyist) who run through their offices on a daily basis.
We lobbied to push immigration reform bills HB12, 183, 197, 608, 1275 & 3152 (all House bills). While at the Capitol, two of these bills, HB608 & 1275 where voted out of committee.
In addition we lobbied for the passing of immigration bill SB9, (a Senate bill) backed by both the Governor, whose staff we spoke with, and conservative Senators. This bill passed on the Senate floor the same day.
We believe this trip needs to be replicated by every Tea Party or conservative group in Texas. A day off from work with fellow Patriots will make a difference for generations to come. We implore you to take advantage of the remaining 27 days of the 82nd Legislative session.
Dear Patriots,
On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the Clear Lake Tea Party sponsored a van trip to Austin. The purpose of the trip was to lobby elected officials and encourage them to move bills that have been held up in different committees, i.e. Calendars & State Affairs. The bills in question were related to immigration reform.
We also discussed the recent vote by the House on redistricting. The redistricting plan didn’t go as we had expected. The “Solomons Redistricting Map” was the only one debated, amended and voted on. This will force incumbent Republican lawmakers to be paired against each other in the upcoming primary races. There was a more favorable plan, “The Nixon Map”, but it never saw the light of day.
We enjoyed many face to face discussions with lawmakers and their staff and on almost all occasions, we were treated warmly. During our conversation with the staff, many of them made a special mention that we needed to make frequent visits. This is to counter the bombardment of emails and special interest groups (lobbyist) who run through their offices on a daily basis.
We lobbied to push immigration reform bills HB12, 183, 197, 608, 1275 & 3152 (all House bills). While at the Capitol, two of these bills, HB608 & 1275 where voted out of committee.
In addition we lobbied for the passing of immigration bill SB9, (a Senate bill) backed by both the Governor, whose staff we spoke with, and conservative Senators. This bill passed on the Senate floor the same day.
We believe this trip needs to be replicated by every Tea Party or conservative group in Texas. A day off from work with fellow Patriots will make a difference for generations to come. We implore you to take advantage of the remaining 27 days of the 82nd Legislative session.
We’re either going to make history, or we’re going to be history!
Our State and Country needs you!!!!!
Our State and Country needs you!!!!!
Second Van Trip To Austin: May 5
The Clear Lake Tea Party had a very successful trip to Austin last Thursday. Three of the bills we lobbied for were moved out of committee and will hopefully be voted on in the near future.
We have scheduled our 2nd van trip to Austin for Thursday, May 5, 2011. We need at least 10 Citizen Lobbyists to be involved in this trip. We will leave Houston at 7:00 am and arrive back from Austin at approximately 7:00 pm. The Clear Lake Tea Party will pay for the van rental and gas. You will only need to pay for your food.
If you are able to come with us to Austin on Thursday, May 5th, please respond to Tanya as soon as possible with your name, phone number and email address and you will be contacted with all the details. Please put "Austin Trip" in the subject line of your response.
We have scheduled our 2nd van trip to Austin for Thursday, May 5, 2011. We need at least 10 Citizen Lobbyists to be involved in this trip. We will leave Houston at 7:00 am and arrive back from Austin at approximately 7:00 pm. The Clear Lake Tea Party will pay for the van rental and gas. You will only need to pay for your food.
If you are able to come with us to Austin on Thursday, May 5th, please respond to Tanya as soon as possible with your name, phone number and email address and you will be contacted with all the details. Please put "Austin Trip" in the subject line of your response.
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