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You have to go deeper into it.

The Lieutenant Governor is the President of the Senate which is enormously powerful.

While the Texas Lieutenant Governor is powerful, the Governor has had many of the traditional roles sent to other executive offices.

It's like the Governor is the chairman of the board, but the Lt. Gov is actually the top shareholder.

Hmm. I don't see it. Looks analogous to the Pres/VP of the US to me.

Well, you may be looking at this from an American standpoint.

For example, the death penalty is considered by a lot of folks to be an atrocity.

The US makes it a hell of a lot easier for civilians to kill people than most other first-world countries. For example, in Texas, if you spot a sixteen-year-old kid about to spray graffiti on your house at night, you yell "stop" and they ignore you and you feel that it would be risky to use non-lethal force to stop them, you are allowed to kill them on the spot to prevent them from spraying the paint (Texas Penal Code 9.42 allows deadly force to prevent imminent commision of criminal mischief at night). This appalls a lot of folks in other countries.

It's all a matter of what your culture gets you used to accepting.

I work at a state agency in texas and we have a state law that enables ANYONE to request any obscure record or piece of data we might track. Mad at a mayor or city official? File an Open Records Request to see ALL their email over the past year.

Because of this law, it is no coincidence that at my agency our server deletes all mail in our inbox after 15 days. You can keep special mail in your other folders indefinitely, though.

a guy at the government

Look at: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/statutes/docs/CR/co ntent/htm/cr.001.00.000018.00.htm
In particular you want to go to "Art. 18.20. Interception and use of wire, oral, or electronic communications". It should contain all the definitions you want. "Oral Communication" and "Wire communication" are the first two listed.

Texas Statutes
CHAPTER 2203. USE OF STATE PROPERTY
2203.004. REQUIREMENT TO USE STATE PROPERTY FOR STATE
PURPOSES. State property may be used only for state purposes. A
person may not entrust state property to a state officer or employee
or to any other person if the property is not to be used for state
purposes.


As he stated, he is a state employee. The servers, storage, bandwidth, electricity, building, domain names, DNS services and other infrastructure bits and pieces belong to the state. He said it was for personal use, i.e. "not state purposes". Seems pretty straight forward to me.

Am I saying this is the way things should work? No. But right now this is how it does work.

33.02. BREACH OF COMPUTER SECURITY.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly accesses a computer, computer network, or computer system without the effective consent of the owner.
(b) An offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor unless in committing the offense the actor knowingly obtains a benefit, defrauds or harms another, or alters, damages, or deletes property, in which event the offense is:
(1) a Class A misdemeanor if the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500;
(2) a state jail felony if:
(A) the aggregate amount involved is $1,500 or more but less than $20,000; or
(B) the aggregate amount involved is less than $1,500 and the defendant has been previously convicted two or more times of an offense under this chapter;
(3) a felony of the third degree if the aggregate amount involved is $20,000 or more but less than $100,000;
(4) a felony of the second degree if the aggregate amount involved is $100,000 or more but less than $200,000; or
(5) a felony of the first degree if the aggregate amount involved is $200,000 or more.
(c) When benefits are obtained, a victim is defrauded or harmed, or property is altered, damaged, or deleted in violation of this section, whether or not in a single incident, the conduct may be considered as one offense and the value of the benefits obtained and of the losses incurred because of the fraud, harm, or alteration, damage, or deletion of property may be aggregated in determining the grade of the offense.

Now let's look at Sony's actions:

"without effective consent" - yes, after rejection of EULA. Maybe even if EULA accepted. See definitionf consent, under "induced by deception".
"obtains a benefit" - yes.
"benefits may be aggregated" - applies
(for first degree felony) "aggregate amount (of benefit) involved is $200,000 or more" - maybe, based on total sales

Sec. 12.32. FIRST DEGREE FELONY PUNISHMENT.
(a) An individual adjudged guilty of a felony of the first degree shall be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life or for any term of not more than 99 years or less than 5 years.

Any questions?

Does this mean that there will be brownouts whenever there is a high volume of trafic on the system?

Probably not. But you may want to make yourself aware of the various state execution times and plan your internet usage accordingly. Luckily, these events usually occur around midnight -- which should be a convenient time for most customers.

Not sure where you are, Kjella, but this is Texas. Yes, we have the death penalty here. If you kill someone, we kill you back. Since they want to disband the "national police", why shouldn't the state, county, and local police take over? Yes, we have a state police force here in Texas. It's one of the most well-known and feared law enforcement organizations in the world - The Texas Rangers. While they may be a big bunch of over-weight bubbas with dinner-plate belt buckles, I would seriously consider *not* pi&&ing them off.

Does that mean that we suspend the rule of law? No. Does that mean you don't get a trial? No. Does that mean that justice should be swift? Yes. Why should the tax payers have to support criminals on what I've heard referred to "as vacation"? This particular discussion is about criminals who are fleeing from whatever mess they've stirred up in another locale. Do I have much sympathy for them? Not really. If you want to move from town to town boosting car stereos to feed your crack habit, I really don't feel for you. Sorry, that's just how it is.

As for the "home grown" terrorist, who is more likely to know who these people are - some dufus from Washington, DC or the local sherrif? I'd vote for the local sherrif. I've yet to live in a county in Texas where the sherrif didn't know, by name & by face, every single repetitive criminal in his county. He's also usually aware of the same information for the surrounding counties. Typically, he can give you the person's name, address, phone number, and a brief overview of his rap sheet. He also usually knows who was new in the area, in less populated counties.

2 cents,

Queen B.

Based on the free-flow speed data collected for a 24-h period at the experimental and comparison sites in 22 States, posted speed limits were set, on the average, at the 45th percentile speed or below the average speed of traffic

At sites where speed limits were raised, there was an increase of less than 1.5 mi/h (2.4 km/h) for drivers traveling at and below the 75th percentile speed. When the posted limits were raised by 10 and 15 mi/h (16 and 24 km/h), there was a small decrease in the 99th percentile speed.

Raising speed limits in the region of the 85th percentile speed has an extremely beneficial effect on drivers complying with the posted speed limits.

Lowering speed limits in the 33rd percentile speed (the average percentile that speed were posted in this study) provides a noncompliance rate of approximately 67 percent.

  Accidents at the 58 experimental sites where speed limits were lowered increased by 5.4 percent. The level of confidence of this estimate is 44 percent. The 95 percent confidence limits for this estimate ranges from a reduction in accidents of 11 percent to an increase of 26 percent.

  Accidents at the 41 experimental sites where speed limits were raised decreased by 6.7 percent. The level of confidence of this estimate in 59 percent. The 95 percent confidence limits for this estimate ranges from a reduction in accidents of 21 percent to an increase of 10 percent.

  Lowering speed limits more than 5 mi/h (8 km/h) below the 85th percentile speed of traffic did not reduce accidents.

Use this complaint form if your computer has been infected by Sony. This way the attorney general has real, not estimated numbers.

If a person is not the owner or operator of the computer, the person may not knowingly cause computer software to be copied to a computer in this state and use the software to

• Using random or deceptive filenames to make it difficult for the consumer to find and uninstall the program, in violation of CPACSA 48.053(5).
• Inducing the consumer to install software by falsely claiming that it is necessary to play the media, in violation of CPACSA 48.055(1).

they have a list of the affect artists and albums; if it goes by sales, Sony will not be in that much trouble!

... [The Attorney General] serves and protects the rights of all citizens of Texas through the activities of the various divisions of the agencies. Actions that benefit all citizens of this state include enforcement of health, safety and consumer regulations; educational outreach programs and protection of the rights of the elderly and disabled. The Attorney General is also charged with the collection of court-ordered child support and the administration of the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund.

The PDF is available here. The press release is here.

(cough :) )

The PDF is available here. The press release is here.

(cough :) )

Here's a link to the official Texas AG's press release.

http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagNews/release.php?id= 1266

They even have an online complaint form. Be the first on your block to get in on the lawsuit!

In the first enforcement of Texas' new spyware law, the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005, Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit against Sony for having "surreptitiously installed the spyware on millions of compact music discs (CDs) that consumers inserted into their computers when they play the CDs, which can compromise the systems." The suit is seeking US$100,000 per violation. A PDF of lawsuit is available here.

In the first enforcement of Texas' new spyware law, the Consumer Protection Against Computer Spyware Act of 2005, Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit against Sony for having "surreptitiously installed the spyware on millions of compact music discs (CDs) that consumers inserted into their computers when they play the CDs, which can compromise the systems." The suit is seeking US$100,000 per violation. A PDF of lawsuit is available here.

Just got a press release in our newsroom that the Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is suing Sony BMG.

Full release can be found at http://www.oag.state.tx.us/oagnews/

Don't mess with Texas.

Fair for you to ask, and hence for me to answer: In PDF document you can read the following quote:

Combustion heat engines tend to be relatively inefficient, because the heat that drives the machine also tends to dissipate easily into the environment. Energy is lost in the friction of moving parts, in overcoming rolling resistance (e.g., from irregularities in the road and flexing of tires), from air resistance, and from power-train resistance. Energy is also consumed by lubrication and cooling systems, which are necessary to make sure the heat engine does not destroy itself. The remainder of the heat is used by the engine to develop power. Because a great deal of heat is lost during engine operation, the efficiency of a gasoline engine may be as low as 15 percent and seldom is higher than 30 percent.

I could not find a comparable article on power plant thermal efficiency, but the factors mentioned in the quote above, are under much better control there, than in a car. Also, the turbines work always at top efficiency levels, unlike the engine in a car - you must admit this to be evidently true.

At least in Texas, the checking account-linked debit cards offer no protection, and no recompense in the case of fraud.

"malpractice premiums do not decrease for doctors in states where malpractice awards are capped to $250,000."

Various sources claim otherwise. Can you back up what you are saying?

From TFA:
The location to produce the fleet of rocket planes is very likely to be Mojave, California. ?That?s where we expect to be in production,? Whitehorn said, although the takeoff site of Virgin Galactic?s public space trips is a different matter. ... ?We are already in discussion with a number of states in the United States,? Whitehorn said

When they say "a number of states", I think the number is close to 1. Texas has laws on the books establishing "Spaceport Development Corporations" with the authority to levy taxes, and the three locations that have established these SDCs all have big advantages over anyplace else in the US:

* One is in the middle of nowhere, for early testing (which might include Things Blowing Up).

* One is an hour away from Houston, for when suborbital and orbital commercial flights become routine.

* One is not-too-far away and offers launching above water, for flights after "experimental" but before "routine".

For further reference, this Houston Chronicle article name-drops about everyone remotely involved in a private space project, from Amazon's Jeff Bezos to Carmack to Armadillo/Id Guy John Carmack.

you don't live here, and don't have a clue. the only time an american has the "freedom" to shoot someone in the face is if that someone is pointing a gun at them.

Here in TexAss, you can shoot anyone on your property, provided you can prove that they threatened you or your stuff at night and there was "no other way" to keep them from "threatening" you.

Bang, bang.

And then you could refer back to the Texas Constitution, Article 7, Section 10, and remember that it calls for an agricultural and mechanical department of The University.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn 000700-001000.html

The spammers "legally obtained the email addresses from the University" via an open records request for a list of utex.edu email addresses, then pretended that this meant they'd paid for the "right" to spam anyone associated with the University of Texas. More details here: Texas Attorney General's Office.

In general, cattle are stupid. In general, people who sit in front of a house with their computer accessing the Internet from an open access point nearby know what they are doing, and they probably know that the person with that access likely doesn't want them using it.

But let's take the Internet free/open bit a little further.

So I have a wireless router on my house. It's unsecured. You're claiming that somehow, this gives someone the right to connect to it. Fine. But why does it give them the right to connect to my Internet service? Simply because the router routes information by default? Rubbish.

Let's move to analogies. My property doesn't have a fence around it, so in theory, anyone can come up to my garbage can and put things in it. People without trash service could, in theory, drive up to my house with their garbage bags and place them in my trash can. Then, when my trash service comes to collect the trash, they take the other person's trash away.

Around here, that's called "illegal dumping" (laws may vary from municipality to municipality). Even though my property is open, my trash can is unlocked, and I don't have a no-trespassing sign up, I could call the cops and have someone hauled away if I caught them putting trash in my trash can.

Let's look at another example, this time with a slightly more plentiful resource than the small space in my trash bin. How about water? I have a water hose on the outside of my property. If I caught someone using it, I could have them arrested, despite my lack of a fence, surveillance, or a posted sign that says that no one is allowed to use the water.

Now in both cases above, it's pretty plausible to argue that someone has to pay for the service, and that unauthorized use of the service may cost someone money. Why isn't the same said of computers? There are plenty of ISPs around that still use metered service, and even if there weren't, anyone using my unlimited service may be infringing on my use of it if I am doing anything on the network at the time.

Regardless, it looks like laws vary from state to state.

Texas, for example, seems to side with me. If you don't have the person's consent to access their computer, it is a crime to do so.

(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly accesses a computer, computer network, or computer system without the effective consent of the owner.

New York, however, sides with you, as there must be a posted notice before computer trespass occurs.

I don't particularly care to go through all the laws, however there is a listing at http://www.ncsl.org/programs/lis/cip/hacklaw.htm , and suffice it to say, I tend to side with Texas on this one. I should be able to leave my computer and network unprotected and have people assume that I don't allow access unless I give it. I'm not saying it's smart to do so, but the default status should not be, "if I can get to it, I can use it."

Of course, the catch ultimately is that, even in states like Texas, does the SSID broadcast count as consent? Possibly, but the intent behind the law seems to be that active consent is required, so it's impossible to know how such a case would be interpreted.

Phil King is from Weatherford and while I think they would frown on big-city activists telling them what to do, I can't help but wonder just how good their own small-town Internet access is ... or how much they read about King getting showered with money and food by the telecom lobbyists ... or how cool they are about having the state tell Weatherford they can't provide themselves a service, even if they unanimously approved.

Sure, I will. The problem with the bill to filter the truckstop wireless is that it is very ambiguous. Read here:

(b) A state agency that provides wireless Internet access on state property may not allow access to obscene materials through the use of that wireless access.

Instead of saying something like "we allow for the funding of this certain filter software/hardware that will filter content not suitable for younger texans" it says "we place the sole burden of removing this content in the hands of the whatever department provides it, damn the consequences" The whole premise relies on Utopian results instead of spelling out practical means. It also stipulates that any non-University publicly provided wifi access (not just truck stops) have to do this. I think of a community hospital where the doctor can't access the sites he needs on his clinical laptop because the page has the word "breast" or "vagina" in it. I am not against smart filtering to protect children, I am against a bunch of moralists that know little about technology blindly regulating a telecommunications service with loose language "to protect children."

• Designating Texas purple sage (Leucophyllum frutescens) as the official State Native Shrub of Texas.
• Designating the Texas Round-Up 10K as the Official 10K of Texas.
• Designating Navasota the Blues Capital of Texas.
• Designating Madisonville the Mushroom Capital of Texas.
• Recognizing Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth for its selection to host a second NASCAR Nextel Cup race.

SB 877

Reading the text of the enacted bill:

Enrolled version

It looks like shipping direct to consumers from in-state wineries was also illegal, so perhaps the Supreme Court decision wouldn't have changed anything.

SB 877

Reading the text of the enacted bill:

Enrolled version

It looks like shipping direct to consumers from in-state wineries was also illegal, so perhaps the Supreme Court decision wouldn't have changed anything.

California has a different list, but again, no mention is made of proving residence. Birth certificates feature prominently there as well, but they also grab a thumbprint and verify your SSN while you wait.

Establishing ID from scratch is always a problem.

If you live in texas you are in reasonably good shape on the final paycheck thing.

http://www.twc.state.tx.us/news/efte/texas_payday_ law_basics.html

"The Real ID Act says federally accepted ID cards must be "machine readable," and lets Homeland Security determine the details."

Far more disturbing than the wastefulness of this bill, is that those proposing it seem to think it will cost nothing at all. If you look at the projected fiscal impact of this bill, they expect it to require only one new employee over a period of five years.

Introduce a controversial system, pretend that a trained monkey can run it, get it past the front door, and then watch the costs balloon. Has anyone else seen this pattern of IT development in government before?

First of all, it's important to read the bill and the background - it began as "The bill prohibits wireless access to obscene materials at a correctional facility." - preventing prisoners in state prisons from viewing porn.

It looks like if part (b) was struck from the bill, it would apply only to prisons, but somewhere in the process someone complained about prisoners being singled out, I bet, so they reworked the bill to include this provision.

The hearing of the House State Affairs Committee is scheduled for 8AM in room E2.010 of the Texas State Capitol. This is a public hearing, so I'd urge anyone who's in the Austin area to attend.

The committee's website is available at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/cgi-bin/db2www/tlo/ committees/cmtembrs.d2w/report?LEG=79&SESS=R&CMTEC ODE=C450&CHAMBER=H&CTYPE=House

This site also links to a page with each representative's contact information. That second page links to their "personal" page on the Texas House of Representatives which has an "email me" form at the bottom, so you can easily email each representative on the committee about this bill.

Hell, you got to pass a 'Sec 4 RELIGIOUS TEST' to be a Texan?
I almost believed it , but decided to have a look at the constitution myself. Well, I guess Texas not as bad as you thought.

But before you get too pleased , read the last part of the line !!! So no atheists for public office in TX (I must admit that I wasnt expecting this)

Section 4 - RELIGIOUS TESTS
No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.

Original link http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/sections/cn 000100-000400.html

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/txconst/articles/cn 000100.html

Here are the main sections of the Texas state constitution.

No, the list you provided is the sections of article 1 of the Texas State Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.

Full document here.


I can't find anything about requiring access to the entire internet if you provide access to some of the internet.

Despite your inaccuracy, I believe that point still stands, though.

Ohh yeah and PORN IS NOT FUCKING ILLEGAL!!!

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.

This bill is in the Business & Commerce committee in the Senate, which has been referred 252 bills this committee, of which 221 are still in committee. Of these, approx. 14 are bills that were passed by the House and are waiting the Senate's vote. The next few scheduled meetings of the Senate Business & Committee are just to consider Senate bills, so it could be weeks before this bill is even consider in committee, if it ever is.

The bill would have to pass committee intact, then be referred back to the general body of the Senate, placed on the calendar for a vote, and then voted on. A suprising number of bills are killed by being passed by committee but never placed on the calendar - it's a way for the Senate to kill bills without actually killing them, so they can try to keep their campaign contributors AND their voters happy.

So, this is far from a done deal. Until the bill is out of the Senate Business & Commerce committee, I'd strongly urge you, especially if you're a Texas resident, to contact the members of the Business & Commerce committee.

The Senate Business & Commerce committee consists of:

Chair: Senator Troy Fraser (R-Abilene)
Vice-Chair: Senator Kip Averitt (R-Granbury)

Members:
Senator Kenneth Armbrister (D-Victoria)
Senator Kim Brimer (R-Ft. Worth)
Senator John Carona (R-Dallas)
Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Longview)
Senator Craig Estes (R-Denton)
Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville)
Senator Leticia Van de Putte (D-San Antonio)

Each link goes to that senators homepage at the Texas State Senate website. Most, if not all, of the senators have a web form on their site to allow you to easily email them your comments. They also list addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers - remember, letters and faxes are given much more weight than emails, so if you are really concerned about this, drop them a letter. Let them know that you are contacting them about a bill that has been referred to their committee from the House, HB 789 .

I've dealt with a few of the senators in this bunch, and of the ones I know, it's a real assortment - there's a true hardcore old-style Texas politician or two in the group, but there's also a few more progressive, modern politicians that will listen to what their constiutents have to say, even over the constant drone of lobbyists in Austin.