This note is to address what is going on in Austin. We introduced four Bills this session. As with all past sessions we begin with the Bills that get filed and numbered first which in this case was HB 706. This Bill was already written as we had passed it once before. Simply a case of changing numbers and names and it was ready.
As always we set about getting the 100 votes we seek prior to asking our Author to present the Bill for a hearing. The difference this session is that we have formed the Legislative Task Force and three others have also been spending at least part of each week walking the Halls. When we reached 50 Ayes Dee and Jenifer took over HB 706 and Jerry and I took up HB 727, the Helmet Bill. Another simple Bill to write. Change the age to 18 for negotiating purposes and strike the two amendments.
We have now reached the halfway mark on HB 727 and HB 706 is ready for committee so it was the first one released by me for committee. It was scheduled for this Wednesday but the Chairman determined that he had loaded the docket for this meeting as some would be more controversial than anticipated. Believe it or not they have already gone into the wee hours of the morning on meetings.
The first wrench thrown into the works was to learn that our Rider Training Fund had again been removed from dedicated 501 account to undedicated 601 account. TX. Dot had taken over $260,000 of last years training budget and placed it into the Texas Mobility Fund. We then had to dedicate some time tracking down who and how in order to get rolling on that. Meantime they hit our latest budget again. We aren’t finished with this issue yet but we have learned who. We also were made aware that all the money spent for Drivers License would go into The Mobility Fund next year including all our Training Fund, currently over $6,000,000 This despite the law still says it can not be moved out of 501, the reports show it goes to 501 while in actuality it is in the 601 Fund and can be taken. This issue is taking a good deal of time at the moment. We have three Reps and two Senators working with us on that problem.
Rep. Menendez introduced HB 528, Failure To Yield Bill. We were waiting for another Rep to introduce a Bill that rather than Jail time asked for a $500 fine to go into a Driver Training Fund and double the points on the drivers license. That way we could offer a choice. Senator Wentworth introduced a companion Bill to HB 528 which is SB 798. That being the case that will be the next issue we work as soon as Equal Access works it’s way out of committee. Again this was an easy Bill as it had already been written once with our guidance.
Rep. Deshotel agreed to carry the Signal Light Bill and we sat down with his staff and laid out the guidelines for that Bill. HB 1279 was written and as this was the first time Representative Deshotel had authored a Bill for us he filed it without our having read it. As we have two other issues in order of business before the Bill would come up we simply let it lay, realizing it needed work when it came to committee. Rep. Deshotel being a member of the Transportation Committee sent the Bill on to committee without our working it. We owe it to him to have some members there to sign affirmation sheets and someone to speak on the Bill. To me this is an unavoidable predicament.
And that is where we are to date. I know what we said we would do with each of these Bills and I know this one Bill is not exactly what we had planned to do. If it passes it will be better than nothing but passage is pretty unlikely without some leg work and we have all we can handle at the moment. We could even, if time permits have a Bill filed in the Senate but we aren’t seriously considering that as an option. Jerry already has blisters on his feet and we aren't even going good yet. Ha Keep those cards, emails and Faxes going to the Representatives on the Bills we are currently working.
Sputnik
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