TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry

[Coogan]

I just called Speaker Straus´ Austin office (210-828-4411), and the office assistant re-assured me that SB730 was at the top of the House Calendar for May 23rd. I told her that it was on the General Calendar, not the Major calendar, and that it would be put behind other postponed business from previous days. She seemed to think I was wrong, and that it had a really good chance of being debated on Saturday. This doesn´t sound right to me, but she seemed to be pretty confident in what she was saying. At this point, I am really confused.

[CWOOD]

I happen to have just looked at the Saturday calendar and she was correct in its placement for Saturday.

There are seven items on the MAJOR Calender.

There are twenty-eight items on the GENERAL Calendar, but SB730 is the FIRST item on it. It may really have a chance for discussion on Saturday. It would 'seem' unlikely that the entire general calendar would be bumped due to unfinished business from Friday...I hope.

I confess that I have no special knowledge of House proceedure but it appears that there is a reasonable chance for discussion of SB730...I hope.

Fingers Crossed.xx

[Keith B]

I happen to have just looked at the Saturday calendar and she was correct in its placement for Saturday.

There are seven items on the MAJOR Calender.

There are twenty-eight items on the GENERAL Calendar, but SB730 is the FIRST item on it. It may really have a chance for discussion on Saturday. It would 'seem' unlikely that the entire general calendar would be bumped due to unfinished business from Friday...I hope.

I confess that I have no special knowledge of House proceedure but it appears that there is a reasonable chance for discussion of SB730...I hope.

Fingers Crossed.xx

Let's hope at least one of the bills gets passed. With the unanimous votes in every section SB 730 has gone through, I can't see this not passing the House if it gets to the floor for a vote.

[pdubyoo]

For what it's worth, SB1164 has been referred to the Committee on Public Safety. As I understand it, they will give it either a favourable or unfavourable report. If it's favourable, from there it goes to Calendars. I'm not sure what the timing is expected to be on this.

In addition to contacting the suggested contacts listed above, I also sent a letter to my Representative (Riddle) to ask for her help in urging the Calendars Committee to place both bills on the Major Calendar. I don't know if she's in a position to influence things, but it can't hurt.

[CWOOD]

For what it's worth, SB1164 has been referred to the Committee on Public Safety. As I understand it, they will give it either a favourable or unfavourable report. If it's favourable, from there it goes to Calendars. I'm not sure what the timing is expected to be on this.

In addition to contacting the suggested contacts listed above, I also sent a letter to my Representative (Riddle) to ask for her help in urging the Calendars Committee to place both bills on the Major Calendar. I don't know if she's in a position to influence things, but it can't hurt.

List of members of Public Safety Committee posted on Page 3 of this thread with note of those who authored/coauthored the House companion bill HB1893.

[J.R.@A&M]

I have faxed Speaker Strauss, Chairman McCall, Chairman Merritt, and Vice-Chair Frost.

[cred]

SB1164 ( http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup ... ill=SB1164" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) is in the Public Safety Committee and it is up to the chair Representative Tommy Merritt (512) 463-0750 to put it up for discussion. If given a favorable recommendation it goes to "calendar" then "vote".
I emailed everyone on both Public Safety and Calendar committees.
I called the chair and vice chair of both committees.

Public Safety Committee members http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/list81/420.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Calendars Committee members http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/list81/050.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Douva]

SB1164 ( http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup ... ill=SB1164" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ) is in the Public Safety Committee and it is up to the chair Representative Tommy Merritt (512) 463-0750 to put it up for discussion. If given a favorable recommendation it goes to "calendar" then "vote".
I emailed everyone on both Public Safety and Calendar committees.
I called the chair and vice chair of both committees.

Public Safety Committee members http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/list81/420.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Calendars Committee members http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/list81/050.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We have a lot of friends in the Public Safety Committee, including the chair, the vice chair, and the primary author of HB 1893 (SB 1164's now-dead House counterpart). It's okay to go ahead and let Public Safety know that we're waiting on them to pass SB 1164 to Calendars, but it's MUCH more important to contact the members of the Calendars Committee and let them know that we want them to place SB 1164 on the House MAJOR calendar as soon as they receive the bill from Public Safety.

The Texas House of Representatives typically works through about four or five pages of their overall calendar each day. There are currently three and a half legislative days left until the deadline for Senate bills to receive their first vote in the House. The House currently has 30 pages of unresolved calendar to get through.

Do the math—there is no way that SB 1164 will receive a House vote prior to the deadline (11:59 PM Tuesday, May 26) UNLESS the Calendars Committee places it on the House MAJOR calendar, which would put it on approximately page three of the overall House calendar.

When you call and fax the members of the House Calendars Committee, politely but adamantly push them to place Senate Bill 1164 on the House MAJOR calendar. Also, as soon as you get a chance, please contact the office of House Speaker Joe Straus (V: 512-463-0686 / F: 512-463-0675), and ask him to ask the Calendars Committee to place SB 1164 on the House MAJOR calendar.

[Coogan]

When you call the Calendars Committee about SB1164, be sure to mention that HB1893, the House companion bill to SB1164, had 74 sponsors in the House, and therefore should be placed on the MAJOR calendar.

[jrosto]

The fax sent to Rep. McCall early this AM:

J R
xxxx Xxxxxxx
Arlington, TX xxxxx
May 22, 2009

Representative Brian McCall
Chair, House Committee on Calendars

I am writing today concerning SB 730, a bill relating to an employee's transportation and storage of certain firearms or ammunition while on certain property owned or controlled by the employee's employer. This bill is commonly referred to as the "Employer Parking Lot Bill". This morning SB 730 has been placed on the House General Calendar after being stalled in Calendars for over two weeks. This is unacceptable, especially for a bill that passed the Texas Senate with a unanimous vote.

SB 730 should have been placed on the House Major Calendar where it would have had a chance for open debate and a vote on the House floor.

Placing SB 730 on the General Calendar is a procedural trick designed to kill this important bill, again, a bill that passed the Texas Senate with a unanimous vote.

It is a shame that a bill with so much bi-partisan support in the Texas Legislature can be killed by one small committee. It is a larger shame that a Republican Chair of a House Committee would go to such lengths to suppress legislation that is specifically supported in the Texas Republican Party Platform.

During this last election cycle I was a Volunteer Voter Registrar, a Senate District 10 Delegate and an Alternate Delegate to the Republican State Convention. I worked with the Texas Victory PAC and was a campaign volunteer who spent a few weekends walking North Texas neighborhoods, knocking on doors to get out the Republican vote.

To say that I am disappointed with the way SB 730 has been handled by the House Republican leadership would be an understatement.

Let us hope that SB 1164, when it reaches Calendars, receives the attention that it deserves and is fast tracked to a debate on the House floor.

Sincerely,

J R

A similar letter was sent to the Speaker of the House, and one was sent to the Vice Chair of Calendars that omitted the reference to the Republican Party Platform. eta: ...and my work in and for the Texas GOP.

[Douva]

I kept checking on the streaming video from the House and couldn't figure out why they were still on the Local and Consent calendar, which is usually knocked out in the first hour or so of each day.

Then I got a call from a friend who's down at the Capitol doing some lobbying. He told me what's going on. Here is the Associated Press report, for those of you who haven't heard.

Democrats use 'chubbing' stalling strategy

By KELLEY SHANNON Associated Press Writer © 2009 The Associated Press

May 22, 2009, 1:11PM

AUSTIN, Texas — Talkative House Democrats used stalling tactics Friday to prevent passage of a voter identification bill they oppose that's scheduled for debate this weekend.

Democrats — who'd warned they would put up a fight to stop the voter ID measure — began talking at length on non-controversial legislation to use up the clock. The Legislature adjourns June 1, and a number of bill passage deadlines are arriving in the next few days.

The Senate already passed a Republican-pushed bill requiring voters to show a photo ID or two non-photo ID alternatives when they cast a ballot. Democrats say that would prevent people without those forms of identification from voting and suppress turnout. If Democrats are going to stop the legislation, it will have to be in the House, where the chamber is almost evenly divided by party.

Veteran Rep. Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock, said Democratic opponents of the voter ID bill were trying to pressure fellow lawmakers to negotiate the legislation, in turn threatening scores of unrelated bills. The delay tactic, using the rules to eat up time, is known as "chubbing."

"In lieu of the filibuster, the House chubs," Jones said. "It keeps a lot of bills from being considered, which puts a lot of pressure on the members who have bills they want to pass."

The House gaveled into session 30 minutes late Friday. Then, after the usual prayer, pledge and welcoming remarks, legislators started in on a long "local and consent" agenda. It's supposed to be a non-controversial agenda of bills that usually breezes along.

But Democrats made it clear they planned to ask lots of questions on those bills and use up all the time permitted — 10 minutes per bill — to slow down the House's work pace.

One Democratic lawmaker during his questioning about a proposed municipal utility district in Waller County brought up a House leadership scandal from the 1970s. Another, questioning a Republican doctor representatives on his legislation, asked about the best remedies for nasal congestion.

Rep. Sid Miller, R-Stephenville, raised a technical point to try to prevent the whole local and consent agenda from being considered so that the House could return to major pending bills, like changes to the top 10 percent college admissions law and, potentially, voter ID, slated for Saturday. He later temporarily withdrew that technical challenge.

"Hopefully we can get back to the people's business and see less chubbing," Miller pleaded, to no avail.

Republicans huddled to talk strategy at the back of the House chamber and in an adjoining conference room, where former Speaker Tom Craddick joined them. The Republicans told news reporters to leave the room.

Rep. Mike "Tuffy" Hamilton, R-Mauriceville, said Republicans were taking a wait-and-see approach, for now.

Speaker Pro Tempore Craig Eiland, a Galveston Democrat, presided over the House early Friday instead of Republican Speaker Joe Straus, as is usually done for a local bill agenda. Eiland reminded lawmakers they had a full three minutes to explain their bills if they wanted to take all the available time.

At one point during the morning stalling, Democratic Rep. Mike Villarreal of San Antonio asked Eiland with a smile: "Mr. Speaker, are we going to break for lunch?"

Lawmakers were told there would be no formal lunch break; there was complimentary shrimp waiting for them in the recently remodeled legislators' lounge.

___

Associated Press writers Jay Root and Jackie Stone contributed to this report.

[austin-tatious]

I kept checking on the streaming video from the House and couldn't figure out why they were still on the Local and Consent calendar, which is usually knocked out in the first hour or so of each day.

Then I got a call from a friend who's down at the Capitol doing some lobbying. He told me what's going on. Here is the Associated Press report, for those of you who haven't heard.

Democrats use 'chubbing' stalling strategy

This is good to know, Douva HOWEVER, do we really need it posted on 5 different threads?
Thanks.

[Douva]

I kept checking on the streaming video from the House and couldn't figure out why they were still on the Local and Consent calendar, which is usually knocked out in the first hour or so of each day.

Then I got a call from a friend who's down at the Capitol doing some lobbying. He told me what's going on. Here is the Associated Press report, for those of you who haven't heard.

Democrats use 'chubbing' stalling strategy

This is good to know, Douva HOWEVER, do we really need it posted on 5 different threads?
Thanks.

Well, it's the factor that is going to kill the bill/bills discussed in all five threads, so I wanted to make sure nobody missed it. Perhaps we should do a little informal thread consolidation. It's tough trying to keep up with one topic being discussed in five different threads.

[Captain Matt]

I understand. How would the ACORN nuts get reelected if voters had to be US citizens and show ID?

[jrosto]

SB 730 is now on the bottom of page 28 of 32 of today's Supplemental House Calendar.