As we move into the final phase of the legislative session, with adjournment on June 1,
here’s all we know and what you can do — please!
Senate Bill 474, Sen. Lois Kolhorst & Rep. Cindy Burkett, Eminent Domain Reform — giving landowners attorney fee reimbursement when low-balled by condemning authorities by 20%. Though the bill passed the Senate, it’s been languishing for 6 weeks in Rep. Joe Deshotel’s House Committee — Land and Resource Management. Deshotel’s hearing was an absolute travesty as a herd of lobbyists came to make scurrilous claims that the sky would fall if this bill passed. Deshotel demanded no evidence whatsoever in light of the fact that 25 states have similar laws.
We are now officially on the warpath to get SB 474 out of the House Committee on Land and Resource Management.
Please call Rep. Joe Deshotel at (512) 463-0662. Tell Joe to move the bill — no four letter words, please — but do tell him how you feel.
House Bill 3298: We have seen some good amendments of “Gridzilla”, Rep. Lyle Larson’s $2M study for conveyance and marketing of water to SA, Austin and DFW). BUT, we still have big objections to Gridzilla which does not yet include:
Evaluation of conservation efforts by cities, industries and other users who will be getting water from the grid, to reduce their demand for water — we want to use conservation, first, to reduce demand.
Evaluation of the long-term economic, environmental and social impacts of the communities whose water will used for the grid.
Please call your Senator and tell her/him that we want Gridzilla amended to include conservation and impacts on so-called “donor” communities, or to slay Gridzilla! Find your Senator here.
House Bill 2595 — Rep. Keffer & Sen. Fraser’s anti-petition rights bill. We brought together a rarely seen coalition of forces last minute to deep-six this horrible bill in the Senate Natural Resources & Economic Development Committee yesterday. If HB 2595 doesn’t die in committee, it’s pretty clear to us that there will be political consequences! Watch the testimony here, starting at 1:43:01 then here at the beginning.
HOT OFF THE PRESS! We just received this request from our friends in Hays County:
FRIENDS: IT IS TIME WE SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR STATE SENATORS AND I’VE MADE IT VERY EASY FOR YOU TO DO SO. We need to make sure OUR voices are heard and that our elected officials protect our LOCAL interests, not their special interests in other counties. Even though HB 3405 (as it was originally written) has an OVERWHELMING amount of support in Hays County, one Senator, from 350 miles away has attempted to amend this bill so that it no longer serves the purpose our representatives intended. This local bill was originally designed to protect private property owners rights and our groundwater using valid SCIENCE as opposed to fear mongering and emotion. Now, with Senator Perry’s amendments, it does no such thing. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE OUR VOICES ARE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR. We must ensure that ONE Senator from Lubbock does not undermine legislation which is WIDELY supported in OUR county. Please fill out this online petition, then share it far and wide… Just follow this link: http://goo.gl/forms/UQPO8xVUKq