Legislative Action Alerts and Status Report

April 24, 2023 (Day 104 of 140 of the 88^th Texas Legislature)

As deadlines loom, the pace at the Capitol has now reached fever pitch.  There is lots to report and lots to do, so let’s get to it!

Action Alerts

Action 1:  Call and email your State Rep to oppose HB 2795 by Dem Transportation Chair Terry Canales

Extends the contract with a foreign corporation for 20 years (from 2042 to 2062) on toll road 130 in Central Texas, including a non-compete agreement meaning no new roads for a number of counties including Caldwell County.  This provides the toll road revenue to foreign company for an additional 20 years and all the state gets is a tolled connector to SH 130 from New Braunfels.  The motto of Texas Constitutional Enforcement is Let Texans Run Texas.  We support the hard work on watching bills like this done by Terri Hall and her Texas TURF.

The first vote on this in the full House is Wednesday, April 16.  Call the Texas Capitol switchboard at 512-463-4630.  Email your Rep using this handy tool.

Action 2:  Email the House Pensions, Investments, and Financial Services members regarding your support for HJR 146 – The Right to Use Cash and Cash Substitutes by Giovanni Capriglione

While I was the only witness testifying on HJR 146 (see video), 209 people commented online on the bill and I did not see a single comment opposed.  We also had one other person signed on in favor at the Capitol without testifying.  In other words, widespread support with no opposition!  But we need to get this bill on its way!

Please use this link to send one brief email to the members of the Pensions, Investments and Financial Services expressing your support and urging a vote out of committee as soon as possible.  Do this even if you have already commented online.

Action 3:  Email the Senate Business & Commerce members re your support for SJR 67 the Senate companion by Tan Parker to HJR 146.

To maximize our chances of passage, we need the soonest hearing for SJR 67 in committee that we can get.  Please use this link to send one brief email to the members of Business & Commerce expressing your support and urging that the bill be heard in committee.

Upcoming Bill Hearings Week of April 24

When it was heard in House Higher Ed this morning, I dropped a comment online in favor of House Calendars Committee Chair Dustin Burrows’ HB 3619 which extends the requirements protecting oil & gas companies from globalist assault that we added last session for Texas pension systems to divest of companies and funds that discriminate against oil & gas to the university funds in Texas.

Like I said on Facebook about this bill, “Increasing the returns on the Texas university funds AND protecting from globalist assault the Texas oil & gas industry. What could be better than that?”

Wednesday is the big day for hearings this week, though.  I will be stretched thin, so anyone can make it to sign in for the bills below or better yet, sign in and testify will make a difference.

Wednesday, April 26:

House State Affairs:  (8:00 am, JHR  140 – that’s the Reagan Building on the north side of the Capitol complex)

HB 4903 – Dorazio – Creates a digital warehouse receipt for gold stored in the Texas Bullion Depository that can be used as currency.  This will give Texans another alternative to protect hard-earned wealth from the ravages of the dollar losing its reserve status and inflation while allowing them to easily conduct commerce, as well.  While some in this group have expressed reservations about digital currency and even the Texas government being involved, I support this because it gives another choice to Texans when they badly need it.  I also admit it appeals to my Texas sovereignty bone, as well.   (Great Reset)  Senator Bryan Hughes is carrying the SB 2334 Senate companion, which has gone nowhere.

Senate Health & Human Services: (8:00 am, Senate Chamber)

HJR 66 – Hall – Right to Refuse Medical Treatment (including vaccinations) added to Texas Bill of Rights.

The Republican Party of Texas Platform Medical Freedom plank, which this bill implements, starts as follows:

137. Medical Freedom: We call for an addition to the Texas Bill of Rights that explicitly states that Texans have the natural, inalienable right to refuse vaccination or other medical treatment.

SJR 66 is broader than another stab at this, SJR 84 (Hall) / HJR 114 (Toth), which we called our “moon-shot” for this session at our Texas Constitutional Enforcement Legislative Agenda Workshop.  I think that HJR 66 is just as good and maybe better, so I am very happy to have this public conversation about rights, bodily autonomy, and vaccination.  I hope you can join the conversation. (Medical Freedom)

SB 2086 – Kolkhorst – Recognizes your DNA as your property.  Allows DNA sample collection for emergency medical treatment, determining paternity, and law enforcement, but protects right of refusal and control over sale of DNA records otherwise. (Medical Freedom and Great Reset)

House Transportation:  (10:30 am or when full House is finished – likely later, E2.036)

HB 2991 – Harrison – Stops criminalization of billing issues for tolls in Texas.  Thousands of Texans are being soaked by outrageous fines and criminal penalties due to billing problems with tolling authorities.  If you have a toll billing horror story, this hearing is for you.  (Good Government)  If you can’t make it to the Capitol Wednesday, click here to submit an online comment for the record now until the hearing closes Wednesday.

Progress is Being Made!

LOTS of good bills are moving.  For instance, Lois Kolkhorst’s SCR 23 declaration of border invasion has passed the Senate and been received in the House.  I expect that one resistance to the Great Reset bill will have received full passage and be on the way to the Governor by the end of the week.  More on that progress later, but I need to get this out, tonight because of the urgent action items.