Legislative Update

SB 369 Carona’s Criminal Gang Data Base Bill came out of the House
Criminal Jurisprudence Committee today with the report printed and
distributed. I believe it will end up going to Calendars which will
possibly kill it. Either way I believe it would need some changes to it in
another session before it could affect us.

HB 169 the Sobriety Checkpoint Bill is dead. Time ran out on it before it
got a second reading in the House. SB 298, Carona’s Sobriety Checkpoint
Bill is still pending in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee. It
has been amended and should it come out as amended, go to the Floor and
pass, it would still have to go back to the Senate to see if they would
concur with the amendment to the Bill. I do not believe it will go to the
Floor and if it does I don’t see any way there would be time for it to get
back to the Senate and pass. Hopefully we have dodged this ROAD BLOCK BILL
again despite the name change.

Today we asked my senator, Mike Jackson to Sponsor HB 1569 the Equal
Access Bill. He immediately said of course which is good as he is on the
committee it went to. Senator Hinojosa’s Chief of Staff called me shortly
there after to say he was going to speak to Chairman Frazier about
carrying the Bill so I asked him to have the Senator Co-sponsor it.

SB 1967 came up for a hearing today. Thanks to all the bikers(you know who
you are) that Emailed written testimony to our secretary Terri to print up
and turn in to the committee. We had a pretty good crowd in the room to
start off with but it took so long for the hearing to begin that most of
them had just signed cards and left by then. My Task Force members and the
Vice President of Texas Motorcycle Roadriders Association stayed to the
bitter end.

Da’Lady laid out the Bill and then we said our piece. Then they read
through the impressive list of those who were in favor of the Bill and
Da’Lady closed. She asked that they pass it quickly and send it to Local &
Consent. If everything goes as expected it should be passed by mid week
next week if not sooner. Thanks to everyone who came out even though you
didn’t get to stay. It was very much appreciated.

Da”Lady, for those who may not know that is Rep. Norma Chavez handed us a
card showing that she had just graduated from the University of Texas.
Congratulations to her. Colonel Beckworth was present to give an annual
report on DPS. He came over and chatted with me for a while and I got to
congratulate him on his promotion as he is now the first black man to head
the Department of Public Safety.

I’ll send more when I know more.
Sputnik
State Chair/TMRA 2

Don’t forget the State Meeting is at the office this weekend. I want at
least one member of each chapter present.