Pardon the pun, but today and tomorrow’s Texas House votes present a watershed moment for all Texans. In an hour or two, House Bill 3298 (Gridzilla) will maraud the floor. Watch it online here. (We wrote you this about the bill).
Tomorrow (Friday), House Bill 2595, hits the House floor. HB 2595 will destroy the 110-year old rights of citizens to petition their city government for a vote of the people. (We wrote you this about it.)
If the business lobbies, hiding behind “conservatism” take our water and our very rights to have a check and balance on municipal government — the right to petition — there is no way out without some new tools for organizing we do not yet have.
So, dear friends, it really is up to you to put a stop to the monkey business.
Do you think Mark Twain was talking about the Texas Legislature?
Let’s say your city council unwisely decides to subsidize a shopping mall and you try to overturn it by petition. The mall developer can sue to stop your petition drive under House Bill 2595, now pending in the legislature, because it hurts the mall developers private property rights if you strip away the subsidies!
In fact, House Bill 2595 kills all petition drives if someone’s private property gain is affected. This foolish bill cuts both ways. It stops citizens from enacting their own legislation if their city government is unresponsive – as long as the city can trot out someone who claims “waaaah, I’m hurt!”
The problem is that every damned thing has that potential. This is just bad policy yet it was just unanimously passed the House Urban Affairs Committee. The bill is now in the House Calendars Committee and could go to the floor of the Texas House at any moment.
Tell them that you oppose HB 2595. If you live in Austin, please make sure to call Rep. Eddie Rodriguez. Let Eddie know that Austin City Attorney, John Steiner, spoke against this bill.
Then click on each member’s name and you’ll be taken to their website where you can see their district. See if you know folks who live in those districts. Reach them and ask them to call in their opposition to HB 2595.
We can also use your hard earned dollars to run a campaign
to stop this attack on citizens petition rights.
See the donate button on the right? ===>
MORE GORY DETAILS, IF YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW: The only reason we can figure that HB 2595 was introduced is that it is — purely — a retribution bill by the oil and gas lobby. They are out to do great harm to the over 100 year legacy of citizens petition rights because they’re still upset about the Denton “frack ban” passed by Denton voters –who are, by the way, largely Republicans. Even despite the passage of HB 40 last week that may well undo Denton’s frack ban.
HB 2595 is a tricky little bill that says that no city can accept, certify or otherwise approve of any petition that, “would restrict the right of any person to use or access the person’s private property for economic gain.”
City of Austin Attorney, John Steiner (with whom we’ve been on opposite sides for years), to his credit, pointed out that because HB 2595 requires the city to stop petitions before a public vote, virtually guarantees that the city will be sued by someone — either the proponents or the opponents. Historically, and properly so, it is the courts that have dealt with these disputes if and when they happen after passage.
Two more examples of why HB 2595 is really bad for ALL citizens:
Example 1:
Your city council decides to use $100 million in tax dollars to support a sports stadium. Once you’ve spent enumerable hours and money getting your signatures, and then submit it to your city clerk’s office, your city council can keep it off the ballot if they believe that the property owner’s “right” to use his or her property for “economic gain” would be impeded. And, if they don’t keep it off the ballot, the property owner who feels harmed could sue the city!
Example 2: (the cake-taker)
Let’s say you want to reform eminent domain in your city to stop private entities (like a privatitized toll road vendor) from taking your property for their own economic gain. It’s a coin toss as to whose property rights trumps in this situation, eh?
Don’t let them get away with taking away our rights, as citizens, to petition and reign in our city government.
Anti-petition bill — set for a hearing THIS WEDNESDAY 9:30 am — to more than double petition signatures for citizen’s charter amendments. (Details below.)
State Senator Jeff Wentworth is sponsoring SB 690 (details below) at the request of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Call Senator Wentworth’s office (512) 463-0125. Ask Sen. Wentworth to pull SB 690 down.
Then join us this Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Capital — in the underground extension, Room E 1.028 for a hearing on SB 690.
Are you coming to our Mayoral Forum this coming Saturday, March 14, 4- 6pm, at Opal Divine’s, 3601 S. Congress (Penn Field)?
This will be one of the few places where you get to see Council Members Leffingwell and McCracken together with former Comptroller and Austin Mayor, Carole Strayhorn, in the same place at the same time.
Caution: Wanna vote on our endorsements? Make sure to sign up here to be a member for $20 by this coming Friday at midnite! (If you can’t spring the $20, please call us — there are other ways, like indenturing your labor to us for a few hours).
Linda Curtis & Brian Rodgers ChangeAustin.org
(formerly your Stop Domain Subsidies friends)
2153 S. Lamar #205
Austin, TX 78704
512-383-8484 or 657-2089
PS Please forward this on to five friends and invite them to join our email network — it’s free of course!
A quick political history. The Austin Chamber of Commerce has been pushing this bill, we believe as their response to Prop 2, even though Prop 2 failed! It was just a little too close (48%) for the Chamber’s comfort. In 2007 Senator Kirk Watson carried this bill (minus an amendment in this year’s bill that exempts police and fire). The requirements currently for citizen’s charter amendment petitioning is 5% of registered voters, with a 20,000 signature cap. Wentworth’s SB 690 would raise the signatures to 10% and remove the 20,000 cap. The law already requires 10% for citizen’s municipal initiatives, referenda and recall petitions. (Remember, Texans only have I&R&R at the city level). The reason you don’t see more referenda and initiatives is because petitioning requirements make them near impossible and WAY too expensive. If anything, they should lower those requirements. Bottom line — if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. How many citizen’s charter amendments have we seen in the last 10 years in Austin? Four. How many have passed? None! But that hasn’t stopped the Chamber from trying to snuff out any opposition to their developer scams on Austin taxpayers. Defeat SB 690! If you’re a member of the Chamber — let ’em have an earful, cancel your membership and tell them you’re sending your dues for ChangeAustin.org, who will keep fighting for voters and local business.
Pardon the pun, but today and tomorrow’s Texas House votes present a watershed moment for all Texans.
In an hour or two, House Bill 3298 (Gridzilla) will maraud the floor. Watch it online here. (We wrote you this about the bill).
new tools for organizing we do not yet have.