Looking back at the 83rd Texas Legislature
The following resolutions were proposed in the Texas 83rd Legislature. None of them were given a hearing in Committee and therefore did not make it to the floor of either house. TUTA and Wolf-PAC Lobbied all Legislators, provided information and submitted petition signatures demonstrating public support for a Constitutional Amendment.
SCR2 by Sen Rodney Ellis (Houston) and HCR21 by Rep Senfronia Thompson (Houston) were matching resolutions both calling on Congress to write an amendment stating that money is not speech and corporations do not have constitutional rights.
HJR94 by Rep Lon Burnam (Ft Worth) called for an Article V convention to write the amendment. HJR94 was also not voted out of committee.
Now that the Legislative Session is over, TUTA has returned to working on public outreach and local resolutions in order to build momentum for the next session. As our network grows we, naturally, have a greater impact on Legislators.
Note: It is quite possible that for the 84th Session starting in January 2015, a single resolution will be introduced that combines calling on Congress to write the amendment and, if necessary, a call for a convention. In either case 3/4 of the States must ratify any amendment before it becomes part of the constitution and law. A resolution similar to this was introduced in Minnesota and was supported by public interest groups such as Public Citizen, Common Cause and Move to Amend.
SCR2 by Sen Rodney Ellis (Houston) and HCR21 by Rep Senfronia Thompson (Houston) were matching resolutions both calling on Congress to write an amendment stating that money is not speech and corporations do not have constitutional rights.
HJR94 by Rep Lon Burnam (Ft Worth) called for an Article V convention to write the amendment. HJR94 was also not voted out of committee.
Now that the Legislative Session is over, TUTA has returned to working on public outreach and local resolutions in order to build momentum for the next session. As our network grows we, naturally, have a greater impact on Legislators.
Note: It is quite possible that for the 84th Session starting in January 2015, a single resolution will be introduced that combines calling on Congress to write the amendment and, if necessary, a call for a convention. In either case 3/4 of the States must ratify any amendment before it becomes part of the constitution and law. A resolution similar to this was introduced in Minnesota and was supported by public interest groups such as Public Citizen, Common Cause and Move to Amend.
When contacting your elected officials make note of any questions the legislators or their staff may ask. Answer to the best of your ability. If you don’t know the answer, tell them you will get back to them. Then either call them back with the answer or let us know so we can follow up.
