I’ve learned something already as the new Legislative VP. I knew, of course, that the Texas legislature meets on the second Tuesday in January of odd numbered years for a maximum of 140 days. When not in session, it was my belief that our honorable representatives went home to their day jobs. Not so.
At the end of November, Speaker Tom Craddick announced the “interim committee charges”, which consists of 36 committees dealing with various topics ranging from agriculture and economics to education and transportation. These committees meet to determine what issues to address in the 2009 legislative session, what their goals are, and what legislation is needed to achieve their goals.
For instance, the Committee on Border and International Affairs will address Texas immigration problems by modeling a bill, or bills, after Oklahoma House Bill 1804. The Oklahoma bill went into effect on November 1, 2007; and already it has caused over 25,000 illegal aliens to leave the state. No doubt, many of them came to Texas. Like the Oklahoma bill, the Texas version would discourage illegal immigration by:
1. By allowing no state resources to go to sanctuary cities.
2. By training local law enforcement officers to follow federal immigration laws. Which means if someone is arrested and his legal presence can’t be verified, he will be classified as a flight risk, Immigration Control will be notified, and he will be deported.
3. By enacting strict penalties for employers who hire illegal aliens. 1st violation would carry a $500 fine. 2nd offense, the company loses its state license.
4. By requiring a photo ID to vote.
The House passed a bill in the last legislative session to require a photo ID to vote, but the senate failed to approve the bill. The Committee on Border and International Affairs will try again in the next session. This would be a good topic to discuss with your senator.
In order to keep the TFRW membership informed about upcoming legislative issues and events, I would like to have the email addresses of all the legislative chairmen in the local clubs. Please forward the email address of the person in your club that you want to receive this information.
Marilyn Davis