Legislative Action Alerts and Status Report

May 8, 2023 (Day 118 of 140 of the 88^th Texas Legislature)

Things are moving so fast, that I need to give you this daily update.

Full House for HJR 146 Capriglione’s Right to Use Currency of Choice!

We just got the word that HJR 146 is on the Wednesday, May 10 House Calendar!  This gives us a day of cushion before the time runs out on the second reading for House bills at midnight on Thursday.

Time to contact your State Rep to urge them to vote for HJR 146.  Click here to download a one pager that you can email or hand deliver at the Capitol.  This is a link to a webpage giving background:  https://www.txce.org/right_to_use_cash_substitutes

Since this will add a provision to the Texas Bill of Rights, it takes 2/3 of each chamber and then a majority vote in November of the people.  It is good that this bill got unanimous, bipartisan support out of committee!  Every Texas House member of both parties should support this bill because it protects ordinary Texans from having their financial choices dictated by non-Texan financial elites.

You can also use this link to send emails to the generic email for every House member, urging them to vote for HJR 146.  This link works differently than some you may have already used.  Because the list includes 149 email addresses, the capability is implemented by presenting you with three links, First Email (containing about half of the Republicans), Second Email (containing the second half of the Republicans), and Third Email (containing the Democrats).  When you click each link, it simply populates the blind copy portion of your own email client.  You have to fill in your own email address in the To: section, the subject line, and your own email text.  The linked page has draft language you may choose to use or modify.

Senate Heard Senator Bryan Hughes SB 2334, the Digital Gold Bill, Today

The hearing went well, but it was not immediately voted out of committee.  We still need this Committee to vote it out to the full Senate.  Use this link to email the members of the committee to urge them to vote for SB 2334 and move it to the Senate floor.

And, Senator Tan Parker’s Texas resolution against Central Bank Digital Currency SCR 25 was voted out of committee on the way to the Senate floor, today, too.

Senator Hughes Says Emails Re SB 1927 Election Integrity Enforcement Are Working!

If you have not sent the email to Senate Republicans and Lieutenant Governor urging them to restart SB 1927, please use this link to send it now.  Click here for more information on this MUST PASS bill for this session.

Governor Abbott Made Border Security Announcements Endorsing Border Bills

The day before the vote on the big border bills in the House – HB 20, HB 7, and HB 82 – Governor Abbott had a press conference announcing the deployment of a Texas Tactical Border Force, an “elite” force of the Texas National Guard to “intercept, to repel, and to turn back” illegal crossings at identified hot spots as part of preparing for the end of Title 42.

Governor Abbott also said, “In addition to this deployment today, we are working on laws this session that I hope will pass later on this month that will give me and the State of Texas even more tools to do an even better job of securing our border.”

That is a clear endorsement the day before the House vote that the Governor wants the big border bills to pass.

Additional Bill Added to Three Wednesday Hearings!

If you are going to be in the Capitol Wednesday, please sign in to support the bills below and testify on any bills to which you think you can add value!

Wednesday, May 10:

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

SB 29 Birdwell w House sponsor Toth – Prohibits governmental vax mandates, mask mandates, or lockdowns for COVID-19.

Note that this hearing will also include the big SB 12 by Hughes that stops sexually oriented performances in the presence of a child, the so called “drag queen bill.”

Because this is a House committee, you can make online written comments for the record using this link.

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

HB 44 Swanson, sponsored in Senate by Middleton – Prohibits anti-vax discrimination by Medicaid and CHIP health providers. (Medical Freedom)

House Pensions, Investments & Financial Services:  (8:00 am, E2.014)

Since yesterday, Senator Kolkhorst’s great “Paypal” bill has been added to the agenda.

SB 1446 Hughes – Requires Texas pension systems to invest based on fiduciary responsibility and not using any system assets that “take any action with a purpose of furthering social, political, or ideological interests.”

SB 1607 Kolkhorst – Prohibits money transmitters like Paypal from including in terms of service, fines to customers suppressing their speech.

Use this link to remotely comment in support of SB 1446 and SB 1607.  NOTE:  This is these are the only bills being heard in the hearing, so you need to be there at latest by 8:00 am to testify.

Response to Allen Shooting – Moms Demand Action Swarmed Capitol Today

Bloomberg-funded Moms Demand Action persuaded Chair Ryan Guillen of the Select Committee on Community Safety to hold a vote and vote out the unconstitutional anti-gun bill HB 2744 Dem Rep Tracy King, who represents Uvalde.  The bill unconstitutionally raises the legal age for possession of a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21. The bill has become the emotional lightening rod for the families of the victims of the Uvalde shooting.

The activists swarmed out across the Capitol visiting Calendars Committee offices “dropping green cards” urging Calendars to put the bill on the Calendar tomorrow, Tuesday, May 9.

When I heard about that happening, I visited Republican Calendars Committee offices dropping “red cards” opposing bringing the bill to the floor.

The staffers in the offices told me wearily about the barrage they were getting, but also told me that there was no way HB 2744 will make it to the Calendar by the deadline Thursday.  They pointed out to me that the same Legislative Counsel logjam on the production of bill paperwork required to go to Calendars that backed up Dorazio’s digital gold HB 4903 will slow the bill down so that it might not even make it to Calendars by the deadline, much less make it to Calendars in time for them to add it to ANY calendar.

I walked away relieved that the full House will not have to endure the misplaced emotion on this bill and that it will not block bills that actually will do something positive to help Texans.

Other Good Bills are Progressing!

More on that later.