Now that the Texas House of Representatives is through with its last-minute rush of its own legislation, it can get down to considering senate bills. Here are several criminal-justice reform bills over from the Senate that Grits has been tracking which are already in the House Calendars Committee and ready for a vote by the full body. All five passed out of their respective House committees unanimously and deserve action on the floor as soon as possible:
- SB 1114 (Whtimire): Limiting Class C tickets in schools.
I'm sure there are more but these seem like no-brainers.
What about HB 104?
ReplyDeleteDid not get a floor vote. It's dead for now unless they find something else to attach it to. I haven't heard of any possible vehicles but then I'm not in the loop.
ReplyDeleteMan there were three bills that my company asked me to monitor - and HB 104 was one of them. The other two were SB 1448 and SB 368. These three bills alone would have allowed us to hire very qualified individuals who may have made a mistake once or twice in their life. HB 104 alone - if passed - would solve half of our problems because these candidates are unemployed and can't afford to pay that idiotic DPS surcharge. I can't hire them if they don't have a valid license. It just sickens me to see this happening. It will be a never ending cycle and people should be pissed. Write or call your reps and let them hear it. I don't know. Maybe Perry can call a special session and they can address it then along with Perry's demands for a tax cut. Also, the ledge needs to meet more than once every two years because there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. It's just pathetic.
ReplyDeleteWe need to elect *movers and shakers* and not these same old ass career politicians who are hell bent on sticking to their ways. I guarantee you that I won't vote for ANYONE* who has that (I) attached to his or her name on the next ballot if it's obvious that they are just sitting on the pot and pondering how they can get re-elected for another term during a session while reading the Statesman. We should demand and expect accountability and the first step is to clean house in both chambers. What a circus. Hell Kick Perry's ass out with them. What a joke. It's just embarrassing.
ReplyDeleteGrits, is there any hope for HB 184 (class C misd. punishment for possessing marijuana under one ounce)? I understand that in calendars committee it was "tagged" by eight members. What does that mean? Do you know who was lobbying against it?
ReplyDeleteSB 1439 (property & evidence technicians certification) goes to House Committee Monday. Tx leads the nation on laws relating to collection, preservation, storage and disposal of evidence. Now lets get the folks who perform these tasks trained! You can buy the best golf clubs, but what good do they do if you don't know how to play?
ReplyDeleteOff topic, but perhaps relevant to this blog:
ReplyDeleteI was just forced to pay a $265.00 Occupational Tax based upon being a licensed private attorney. While I don't have a terminal problem with that, I do have a problem with the fact that Governmental attorneys, including prosecutors, judges, and staff and general counsels of various agencies are exempt from this tax. I would be willing to wager that there are over 5000 licensed attorneys in Texas who are currently exempt. This money could be either allocated into either funds for access to justice, or to replenish the crime victims compensation fund. Thoughts or argument?