Status Report: Where are the bills in the process and how can you help?
May 7, 2019Hemp to be discussed on the Texas Senate floor – Ask your senator to vote YES!
May 13, 2019One person is standing in the way of allowing public discourse on penalty reduction in the Senate, Lt Gov Dan Patrick. He is using a procedural stall tactic – not referring the bill to committee. However, the Lt Gov already has referred the senate companion bill to the Criminal Justice Committee, so there is no reason that he should delay in sending HB 63 there as well.
The public has reached out to the Lt Gov since his public statements claiming that HB 63 is dead on arrival to the Senate. Thousands of Texans have reached out to the office by phone and email to ask him to reconsider his position on this important legislation. We have not heard any change from him yet. Now it is time to ask our Senators to apply pressure to the Lt Gov.
Ask you senator to request the HB 63 be referred to committee!
If your senator confirms that they will make this request, please email me ([email protected]) so that we can track which senators will be advocating for their constituent’s voices.
Regardless of if your Senator sits on the committee, it is time for them to use their powerful voices to advocate for public discourse on an issue that is extremely important to Texans, with over 84% supporting this sort of reform. By the Lt Gov refusing to refer HB 63 to committee, he is silencing the voice of Texans and the Senators that represent them.
Do you have an extra moment? — Call your senator!
- Identify your senator and their Capitol office phone number.
- Call your Texas State Senator to ask that they join the super majority in the House by voicing their support for a hearing and being a yes vote for penalty reduction.
Here is a script you can use:
“Hello, my name is ___ and I am a constituent. I would like to request that my senator support ask the Lieutenant Governor to refer HB 63, which reduces the penalty for low-level marijuana possession, to committee. Will the Senator make this request? This is a very important policy to me, please do not let the Lt Gov silence your voice on the issue. It is time that we make these critical changes for our state so we do not have to wait another two years to help Texans. ”
Please remember that if you ask them to make the request and they do not know if the Senator will, follow up with them until they can provide you with an answer. Please share any responses with me so that we can track which senators will be advocating for their constituents on this policy.
Thank you for your dedication to this cause and for taking the time to engage with your senator on this important policy!