5/22/2007

UPDATED: Conspicuously absent from the list of committee conferees is Transportation Chairman Mike Krusee - SEE #2 BELOW


The Citizen's Veto

Citizen anti-toll groups are joining forces in the final days of the legislative session as the last opportunity to stop the TTC for the next two years.

The Texas House of Representatives has solidly supported a Trans Texas Corridor moratorium at every opportunity and on every vote. Soon they will have one more vote on SB792, allowing it to either become law or killing it forever.

There is a fatal flaw in the language of SB792 that would allow TxDOT to proceed with construction of TTC-35, even if the bill becomes law. On May 17, Rep. Lois Kolkhorst fixed that loop hole with House Amendment #13.

The Governor has demanded that amendment 13 be removed from SB792.

“Through our Representatives we can exercise a Citizen's Veto by asking them to kill SB792 if it fails to give Texas a moratorium on the Trans Texas Corridor. Amendement #13 is the key. No #13 amendment? No moratorium!” said CorridorWatch.org’s David Stall

The anti-toll coalition, led by CorridorWatch.org believes there will be very little if any benefit from the passage of SB972 if is fails to contain the provisions of amendment 13 that put an enforceable 2-year hold private CDA projects. Amendment 13 will not effect North Tx projects or other exempted projects.

The anti-toll coalition says we must either keep amendment 13 or we do everything in our power to see SB792 is killed.

“SB792 With 13 is Okay; Without 13 - No Way!” said CorridorWatch.org’s David Stall

The anti-toll coalition asks that YOU TAKE THIS ACTION

#1. Call and fax Lt. Governor Dewhurst.

* Call 800.441.0373
* Fax 512.936.8144 or 512.463.0677
* You can use this form letter (click orange headline to download).

#2. Call and fax SB792 Conference Committee Members (THESE MEMBERS JUST ANNOUNCED TODAY AT NOON - CONTACT THEM NOW).

Senator Tommy Williams, Chair 888.668.1227 / Fax 512.463.6373
Senator John Carona 512.463.0116 / Fax 512.463.3135
Senator Eliot Shapleigh 512.463.0129 / Fax 512.463.0218
Senator Kim Brimer 512.463.0110 / Fax 512.475.3745
Senator Robert Nichols 512.463.0103 / Fax 512.463.1526
Representative Chairman Wayne Smith - 866.423.5987 / Fax 512.463.1323
Representative Patricia Harless - 512.463.0496 / Fax 512.463.1507
Representative Larry Phillips - 512.463.0297 / Fax 512.463.1561
Representative Joe Pickett - Toll Free 800.775.5810 / Fax 512.463.6504
Representative Lois Kolkhorst - 512.463.0600 / Fax 512.463.5240

* Use the form letter (click orange headline to download).

Here's what we suggest that you say when you call, "I strongly support a moratorium on the construction of the Trans Texas Corridor. Please help keep amendment 13 in SB792 or kill the bill altogether."

For more information go HERE.

2 comments:

Sal Costello said...

For Immediate Release Dewhurst's Dilemma May 21, 2007

The Governor's spin machine is working it today, to make it appear that he's trying to work out a compromise on the most treacherous issue this session, putting a 2 year moratorium on the Trans-Texas Corridor. Make no mistake. Rick Perry has, so far, successfully thwarted the clear will of a super-majority of ordinary Texans and the Texas legislature, who do not want the Trans-Texas trade Corridor. The only question remaining is where Lt. Governor David Dewhurst will land. Dewhurst appointed Sen. Tommy Williams (R-Woodlands) to chair the Conference Committee that is deliberating on the hot potato bill of the session, SB 792. SB 792 is the second, and last, chance for a Corridor moratorium in the 2007 legislative session.

Lt. Gov. Dewhurst is being deluged with phone calls, faxes and emails today, asking that he instruct Senator Williams to do the right thing and allow Rep. Lois Kolkhort's (R-Brenham) Amendment 13, to be attached to SB 792. Amendment 13 closes a loophole that, if not closed, will allow for the Corridor to proceed. State Representatives are also hearing from their constituents. If SB 792 comes to them with Amendment 13, they're being asked for vote for it. If Amendment 13 is not included, they're being asked to kill it. The grassroots coalition of groups doing this, led by CorridorWatch.org, are calling this, "The Citizen's Veto".

David Stall, co-founder of CorridorWatch says, "I'm sure Governor Perry would like this (SB 792) to become law without amendment 13 so he can blame the legislature when it fails to stop the Trans Texas Corridor. If he can't get his way this bill may never come out of committee. Either way, the overwhelmingly clear will of the people will have been dismissed in a manner that is an affront to democracy."

Chris Hammell, one of the founders of the Blackland Coalition, the farmer fight-back organization in the richest farmland in Texas, the blackland prairie throughout central Texas says, "As a life-long Republican who just became an independent, I can tell you this. Governor Perry continues to dig a hole for the Republican Party and spur on a populist independent revolt, the likes of which hasn't been seen in this state since the early part of the last century. If Dewhurst decides to thumb his nose at the people, the Republican Party will lose many more supporters, folks just like me, and the independent movement will rise up out of the ashes."

Linda Curtis, a founder of Independent Texans, one of the organizations that's worked the hardest to unite the rural, urban and suburban groups fighting both the Corridor and the urban freeway-to-tollway conversions says, "Our rural, urban and suburban coalition, despite Perry and his allies' attempts to split us up, has only strengthened after seeing the utter treachery of the people happening right under Dewhurst's nose. Only Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst can come forward now to instruct the conference committee chair that he appointed, to do the right thing. He wants to be Governor, or so we're told, but he can't sell out and sell off Texas and do that. This is David Dewhurst's dilemma."

Well over two-thirds of members of both the Texas House and the Texas Senate voted for HB 1892, their first crack at a Corridor/Toll moratorium. However, that bill was vetoed by Gov. Perry, and the Senate has indicated that they will not seek to override on HB 1892, due to what they perceive as a fatal flaw in the bill. The second and last chance is SB 792. However, if SB 792 is ditched, the populist coalition may decide press forward with a move to override the Governor. Stay tuned and don't be confused in a purposefully confusing situation!

#
Linda Curtis
Independent Texans
http://indytexans.org
P. O. Box 14294
Austin, TX 78761
512-535-0989 Austin
512-657-2089 cell

Sal Costello said...

HOUSE NAMES SB 792 CONFEREES
They are: Chairman Wayne Smith, Lois Kolkhorst, Patricia Harless, Larry Phillips and Joe Pickett.