Friday, March 29, 2013

Pay attention, it's YOUR TURF.


If the following isn't enough to spur you into action, go down to the capitol and help the pregnant lady, would ya? She can't do it alone!

UPDATE 
Texas for Sale:
Now Senate seeks to hand TX roads to foreign entities
Your calls and emails are making a difference!

Rep. Larry Phillips' bill, HB 3391, didn't get a hearing last week so it's up for a hearing Tuesday, April 2, in the House Transportation Committee which starts at 8 AM. He's told us he plans to substitute his 'blank check' bill with a more limited one, but it would still hand 19 Texas highways over to private, even foreign, corporations & it still expands to rail!

BUT
The same bill is up for a hearing in the Senate Transportation Committee, authored by Sen. Robert Nichols, SB 1730, on Wednesday, April 3 at 8 AM. SB 1488 by Sen. Kirk Watson will be heard the same day and it expands these contracts to RAIL.
More info on these controversial contracts here.
We need YOU to oppose these bills.

URGENT ACTION ITEM
We need YOU to do one of the following:
1) Attend the House Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday, April 2 (Rm. E2.012 - starts at 8 AM, but likely won't be heard until the afternoon) to testify against HB 3391 (and FOR HB 1054) AND/OR the Senate Transportation Committee hearing Wednesday, April 3 (Rm. E1.016 at 8 AM) to testify against SB 1730 & SB 1488. These public private partnerships contracts will cost Texas commuters 75 cents a mile to use our public roads.

(Look for Terri Hall to get talking points - long, brunette hair & pregnant belly!);

OR
2) If you can't stay to testify, register against the bills at the Capitol (for the House bill, register AGAINST the bill on the i-Pad looking kiosks outside committee rooms, for the Senate bill, register against the bill in writing on a card on the back table of the committee room);

OR
3) Call the Senate Transportation Committee member (Capitol Switchboard is 512-463-4630) closest to your city and POLITELY tell them to vote 'No on SB 1730 & SB 1488' (more talking points below).

Sen. Robert Nichols (His bill would hand Loop 49 around Tyler to a private/foreign co.) (Tyler to Montgomery Cnty) - 512-463-0103
Sen. Ken Paxton (Collin Cnty to Dallas) - 512-463-0108
Sen. Wendy Davis (Ft. Worth) - 512-463-0110
Sen. Kelly Hancock (Tarrant Cnty to Dallas) - 512-463-0109
Sen. Dan Patrick (Houston) - 512-463-0107
Sen Rodney Ellis (Houston) - 512-463-0113
Sen. Kirk Watson (Austin) - 512-463-0114
Sen. Donna Campbell (San Antonio to S. Travis Cnty) - 512-463-0125
Sen. Carlos Uresti (El Paso to San Antonio) - 512-463-0119

AND
EMAIL the entire Senate Transportation Committee in one click here: senate_sc@texasturf.org

Tell them: "Vote 'No' on SB 1730 & SB 1488. We do not want you to hand Texas roads to private corporations who extract exorbitant toll rates (75 cents/mile) from commuters just to get to work. Texas roads belong to Texans. It's anti-liberty and un-Texan to hand our state sovereignty over public infrastructure to private, even foreign, entities for a HALF CENTURY in sweetheart deals that guarantee profits & congestion on free routes. We don't want this authority to extend to RAIL boondoggles either! Also, vote SB 1029 & SB 1253 OUT OF COMMITTEE to protect Texans from DOUBLE TAXATION by tolling existing free lanes or downgrading free routes with slower speed limits & stop lights."

SPECIAL NOTE: Be sure to include your full name, address, and phone.

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