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SB534, aka, the "worker protection bill" will forbid employers from forbiding employees from keeping guns in their locked vehicles while parked in a company parking facility. It has passed the Senate, and passed the House Law Enforcement Committee. Then it was sent to the Calendars Committee, where it died last year.

Since going to Calendars a couple of weeks ago, I have heard NOTHING about this bill. The NRA had been tracking its progress on http://www.nra.org on an almost daily basis. Lately, there has been no mention of it, even though they are touting a couple of other bills like the privacy bill and (I think) the travelling bill.

The silence is deafening. Where there should be calls to bombard the chairwoman's office (Rep. Woolley) with phone calls and emails to get this bill to the House floor, there is nothing. I have made one phone call to Rep. Woolley's call taker who seemed a bit chilly to the subject. I have called my own rep, Robby Cook, who's call taker was friendly and enthusiastic. I have also sent an email to Rep. Woolley's office, to which I have received no response whatsoever.

There's no doubt this will pass if it gets to the floor. So what's going on? Has the TSRA stopped pushing it? Has "the word" gone out to forget it for another 2 years? Have the business interests "jobbed" us AGAIN?

Inquiring minds want to know.

HB 992 by Rep. Patrick Rose, substituted for SB 534, was reported to Calendars Committee on April 19. This one is particularly confusing to me because there were--count 'em--SIX different bills that hit this legislative session on the self-same subject. You need to buy a program in order to keep up with all the players and figure out who's on first, but with HB 992 being scheduled there continues to be movement.

Edited to add link to HB 992: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup ... Bill=HB992

And link to SB 534:http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup ... Bill=SB534)

TRSA-PAC reported substitute of 992 for 534 (http://www.tsrapac.com/

This isn't "movement". It's the same shell game they played two years ago.

The Senate passes one bill, the House passes another - and never the twain shall meet. Both bills go to committees where they "die" when the chairman simply never schedules them for a vote.

That way, everyone can say they voted for it while it STILL DOESN'T PASS.

The action on the House bill is just a diversion. SB534 has already passed the Senate and the LE Committee. All it has to do is reach the House floor and it's a done deal.

And anybody who is standing in the way of that is jobbing us.

It says here that people should call your reps and the people on the Calendars Committee, especially the so-far "non-commital" Rep. Woolley and urge them to get SB534 on to the floor.

Instead of spending the next 2 years worring about losing our jobs, we should make Woolley and other apparent obstacles start worrying about losing THEIRS.

Here's a list of committee members.

http://www.house.state.tx.us/committees/050.htm

Click on a name and you'll be given a chance to send them an email.

An email to House Speaker Tom Craddick would help too.

http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/di ... addick.htm

Time is running out for this legislative session.