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TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 12:58 pm
by Charles L. Cotton
We need everyone to call Rep. Brian McCall, Chairman of the House Calendars Committee and politely but strongly tell him that you want both SB730 (employer parking lots) and SB1164 (campus carry) set on the House MAJOR Calendar, not the General Calendar.
Tell him you are aware that:
1. SB730 - parking lots has been in the calendars committee for two weeks and a day;
2. You have watched other bills going into Calendars then being set to the Floor within 2 to 3 days;
3. That the Calendars Committee pulled the same stunt with the employer's parking lot bill last session;
4.
That you know putting a bill on the House General Calendar is a move designed to kill the bill.
Then call House Speaker Joe Straus and tell him that you are very disappointed that important NRA and TSRA bills (campus and parking lots) are clearly being stalled by the Republican leadership for the second session in a row.
Both of these men need to hear from a whole bunch of people. As always, be polite but firm.
Chas.
Here is the official NRA email alert:
NRA Alert wrote:URGENT: HELP NEEDED FROM TEXAS NRA MEMBERS ON SENATE BILL 730!
The Texas Legislature is entering its last 10 days of session, and the Texas House has not voted on one single significant pro-Second Amendment issue the entire session. That means that NRA's top legislative priority – Senate Bill 730, a bill that would allow employees to lawfully store firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work -- may die this session. Not because SB 730 doesn't have the votes, but because the House won't be given a chance to vote on it.
This bill passed the Senate unanimously back on March 25! It enjoys strong, bi-partisan support among House members. But the House Calendars Committee has thus-far refused to set SB 730 for a vote by the full House. Powerful business and industry lobbyists are pulling out all the stops to keep this bill bottled up in Calendars, because they know it has a good shot at passing if it gets to the House floor. In 2007, the House Calendars Committee pulled the same trick - and finally scheduled that session's employee/parking lot bill so late and so far down on the House Calendar that it had no hope of coming up for a vote before the consideration deadline. < STRONG>Unless you take the following actions, the same thing may happen to SB 730 in the 2009 session:
* Contact House Calendars Committee Chairman Brian McCall's (R-66) office TODAY at (512) 463-0594 and urge him to set SB 730 on the Major State Calendar so that the bill has a chance to be voted on by the full House before its too late. Major State Calendar bills are the first to be considered each legislative day, and it's the only way to guarantee that SB 730 actually has a shot at a vote before the consideration deadline.
* Contact Speaker Joe Straus' (R-121) office TODAY at (512) 463-1000 and urge him to do everything he can to ensure that SB 730 is placed on the Major State Calendar and voted on by the full House before next week's deadline.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:08 pm
by Mithras61
The voicemail box for McCall/Calendars is full and no one answered. Couldn't get through to Speaker Strauss (yet). Got a busy signal there.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:35 pm
by Keith B
Call to Strauss' office completed sir!!
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:41 pm
by jimlongley
I called McCall's office, because I am a constituent, and was rudely treated by the young lady that answered the phone. She wouldn't take my message as a constituent concern and insisted on me calling the committee. A call to the committee generated similar ill will when, after I expressed my desire to see the bill passed, the kid I was talking to wouldn't take my comment that I would think twice about voting for Mr. McCall based on his actions, and transferred me to another () who kept cheerfully ignoring what I was saying and saying "So how can I help you sir?"
McCall just slid a whole bunch of points down my approval scale.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:43 pm
by TexasComputerDude
I can't get through, the mailbox is full for McCall.
I dialed it 4 times, it rang a few times for the first 3, then on the fourth started immediately dumping me into voicemail.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:43 pm
by scott_dfw
Called Rep McCall's office, he is on the chair at the moment, but left clear conveyance to the clerk that took the call.
She was very polite and agreed to pass it out to him ASAP.
No busy and no hold on the austin number. (512) 463-0594
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:48 pm
by TexasComputerDude
I got through at the number scott provided.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:57 pm
by jlangton
scott_dfw wrote:Called Rep McCall's office, he is on the chair at the moment, but left clear conveyance to the clerk that took the call.
She was very polite and agreed to pass it out to him ASAP.
No busy and no hold on the austin number. (512) 463-0594
Just spoke with someone at that number,and was greeted with a snotty attitude and told that Mr McCall was NOT holding up those Bills,and that I should call the other offices of Calendar members. Was also told that it's a rumor that Bills get tagged and held up-but she didn't have any explanation as to why other Bills had been scheduled for the floor in 2-3 days,yet SB730 had been there for 2 weeks with no progress. No answers, just double talk and attitude from the people answering the phones lately.
JL
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 1:57 pm
by scott_dfw
TexasComputerDude wrote:I got through at the number scott provided.
Good! The number provided in the NRA link isnt working too well.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:07 pm
by Charles L. Cotton
scott_dfw wrote:Called Rep McCall's office, he is on the chair at the moment, but left clear conveyance to the clerk that took the call.
She was very polite and agreed to pass it out to him ASAP.
No busy and no hold on the austin number. (512) 463-0594
Thanks, I updated the phone number in the NRA email alert.
Chas.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:10 pm
by Greybeard
In trying the numbers above, Rep. McCall's 512-463-0758 mailbox was full and Speaker Straus' number was busy. I went to their respective web pages and looked up the following to try as well.
Rep. Brian McCall: 512-463-0594 (Austin) Fax: 512-463-5896
972-881-0890 (Plano) Fax: 972-422-9061
Speaker Joe Straus: Austin Fax: 512-463-0675
San Antonio Office Phone: 210-828-4411 Another Fax: 512-463-1064
I was able to get my message through to a lady at McCall's 512-463-0594 number. She suggested I contact other committee members as well. I was also able to speake with a lady at Straus' 210-829-4411 number - and let her know many of us are quite displeased with the Republican "stall ball" to date on these two issues.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:15 pm
by Mithras61
Charles L. Cotton wrote:scott_dfw wrote:Called Rep McCall's office, he is on the chair at the moment, but left clear conveyance to the clerk that took the call.
She was very polite and agreed to pass it out to him ASAP.
No busy and no hold on the austin number. (512) 463-0594
Thanks, I updated the phone number in the NRA email alert.
Chas.
Thanks, Charles.
Called & got through to a young lady who tried to hand me off to the Calendars Committee phone #, but I declined & explained that they weren't answering the phone and their voicemail was full. I explained my (our) position on this and while she didn't ask for my name, she did indicate that she would pass this along to him.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 2:59 pm
by TrueFlog
I called Chairman McCall's Austin number and had no trouble getting through. The woman who answered was very pleasant but repeatedly downplayed McCall's role in the matter. She kept stating that "there are 12 other members on the committee." I told her that I'd heard that he had tagged SB730, and that he personally was seeking to delay it. She denied it, and I stressed that his actions speak louder than her words on the matter. I also let her know that I spoke directly with the chairman back in February - he was very supportive back then, and I expect him to make good on it now.
On SB1164, the aide said that bill was not yet in calendars because it has to pass the House committee first. (Can anyone confirm this?) I confessed I was unsure of whether the bill had made it calendars yet, but added that when it gets there, it needs to get put on the major calendar ASAP.
I have yet been unable to get through to Speaker Straus. All I get is a busy signal.
EDIT: I did manage to speak to one of the Speaker's aides. I let her know that I'm unhappy with how the Republican leadership (and the Calendars Committee in particular) has handled the Campus Carry and Parking Lot bills. I asked that the Speaker use his position of leadership to pressure Rep. McCall and the committee to schedule 730 and 1164 on the major calendar post haste. She didn't ask for my address but did promise to pass along my concerns.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 3:10 pm
by Rudy Kohn
I tried the 463-1000 number this morning, to no avail.
Interestingly, the number on the House website yesterday was different: if you're having trouble with the 1000 number, try (512) 463-0686, which got me through to Straus's office this morning.
Hope this helps.
Re: TWO URGENT ACTION ITEMS: Parking lots & Campus-Carry
Posted: Thu May 21, 2009 3:18 pm
by Charles L. Cotton
Thanks to all who have already called and to those who will. Keep the calls going during the weekend and Memorial Day. The legislature will be working Saturday and Monday, and perhaps Sunday.
Please pass this information to your friends and family and get them to call. Both the campus-carry and parking lot bills are going to die, unless these people are flooded with calls and faxes.
Chas.