We don’t want a King!
It’s “Take Action” Tuesday!
Time to fight back!
Make your voice heard!
We make it easy to do!
Let’s end the Governor’s ability to issue unconstitutional mandates that closed churches, schools, killed jobs, destroyed businesses, rationed medical care for all non-COVID-19 health issues, and separated families from loved ones in long-term care facilities! He never should have acted alone without the legislature!
Let’s fight to restore liberty and the constitutional checks and balances that protect “consent of the governed” – the voice of We the People!
TODAY – support two key bills to stop the unconstitutional
overreach of any TX Governor and his Executive Branch Agencies during a declared disaster or emergency!
You can 1) testify in person and/or 2) send in written support AND call the State Affairs Committee. A “bonus” 3rd step is included for those who want to go the extra mile in support of Senator Brian Birdwell’s SB 1025 and SJR 45 by calling the five Republican holdouts on these bills.
What: Senate State Affairs Committee hearing, chaired by Sen. Brian Hughes, will hear two excellent bills to curtail the Governor’s disaster powers.
When: 9 AM, Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Where: Hearing room E1.028 at the State Capitol, Austin
Talking & writing points for SB 1025 & SJR 45 for in-person testimony, written statements, and calls:
- SB 1025 & SJR 45 together rebalance powers in times of emergency and disaster. These bills put Texas government back on the side of the people by making sure the Legislature plays an active role in emergency or disaster declarations! The Governor could no longer act like a king and cut the legislature out of decision-making for months at a time!
- SJR 45 in conjunction with SB 1025 would install the legislative check originally contemplated in the Texas Disaster Act of 1975. Specifically, the legislation would require the governor to call a special session if he or she desires to continue a declaration past thirty days when any one of the following three conditions are met:
- the declaration affects half of the state’s population.
- the declaration affects 2/5 (102 or more) of the 254 counties; or
- the declaration affects 2/3 of the counties in 3 or more trauma service regions.
- SJR 45 provides an enforcement mechanism for ensuring that the special session occurs when appropriate. As proposed, it grants standing to any sitting legislator at the time of the disaster to challenge the executive branch in the Supreme Court of Texas if the governor fails to convene the legislature after a qualifying disaster or emergency declaration.
- Once convened, the legislature may terminate or renew the order subject to limitations as it deems fit. This may be set up with a concurrent resolution or another legislative enactment that is not subject to the governor’s veto.
- SB 1025 clarifies that only the legislature may suspend a provision of the Penal, Criminal Procedure, or Election Codes during major disasters.
- SB 1025 declares that only the legislature may order the closure of specific classes of businesses or houses of worship during major disasters. (The legislature in session gives time for the voices of the people to be heard and public debate to take place.)
Additional background:
The current disaster law used by Gov. Abbott and local officials during the declared COVID-19 Pandemic is based on the Texas Disaster Act of 1975, which was designed to empower the executive branch to oversee a uniform response to potential threats facing Texas. However, the Act was also intended to engage the legislative branch as a check to this power – a check of power that is unavailable outside of the regular session of the legislature, which lasts for 140 days every two years.
During 2020, thousands of citizens and hundreds of conservative groups (Grassroots America and the Texas Conservative Grassroots Coalition) called on Gov. Abbott to convene a special session of the legislature. He refused.
When out of session, the legislature’s input into disaster planning is only allowed if the Governor calls the legislature into a special session. Senator Birdwell’s SB 1025 and SJR 45 institute the legislative checks our state constitution demands!
Call and write the Senate State Affairs Committee today!
- Call the list below of State Senators on the State Affairs Committee. Call today and throughout the day on Wednesday.
- Email the State Affairs Committee here: [email protected]
- Let them know that 1) you strongly support SB 1025 and SJR 45 and 2) that you want them to vote SB 1025 and SJR 45 out of committee on Wednesday so these bills can go to the floor for a vote soon!
When you call, if a staffer says, “you don’t live in our district,” remind them that this committee has the power to advance or kill these executive power reform bills, which means they need to hear from all Texans! But, if you live in the district of one of these committee members, be sure to emphasize that you do!
When emailing the special Senate State Affairs Committee email address – [email protected], in the first sentence, state your name and address. If you are authorized to represent an organization, state the organization and your title. Do not say you represent yourself and an organization. Pick one. The staff needs to classify you as representing a group OR yourself. I always call to represent Grassroots America – We the People PAC.
Second sentence: State your support for bills. Then, just write a couple of paragraphs, using some of the talking points we gave and tell WHY this is important to you. Only write about these two bills – do not go into election integrity or another topic. If you write pages, you guarantee your message will not be read!
For all of you on social media, be sure to send a social media message to these Senators! We have their FB and Twitter accounts listed in the chart below! (other social media accounts are not readily available for legislators) They pay attention to being tagged on social media!
- Bonus Action for those of you who have Republican Senators NOT yet signed on to these two Birdwell bills. Call and ask why! Tell them you expect them to sign on in support and vote for these bills!
These 5 Republicans are not signed on in support of SB 1025 or SJR 45. Ask them why! Jane Nelson (also a member of the State Affairs Committee!), Larry Taylor, Kelly Hancock, Joan Huffman, Kel Seliger
Find the contact information for these five Republican holdouts below. Are they fine with a Governor who acts like a King? Tell them to support SB 1025 and SJR 45!
This TX Senate Directory by Texas Scorecard contains social media addresses for tagging state senators. They will see this first! Click here for social media addresses.
Click here for the official state directory with phone numbers (call Capitol & district #s), mailing addresses & email accounts. Click on the picture of each senator to open contact info. See the email link on the right, next to the envelope icon.
Please hang in here with us! We must push especially hard now that time is
running out to get these bills out of the Senate and over to the House (which is always an uphill climb due to the high population of Rinos).
Democrats are calling and showing up in Austin. We need you to help us defeat the Donkeys and the Rinos!
I’m calling them now! How about you?
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