Democratic National Committee Meeting in Austin (September 10-12, 2009)

Received from the Texas Democratic Party earlier this month:

Dear fellow Democrat,

It is with great pleasure that I share this exciting news with you. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has just informed me that Austin, Texas has been selected as the location of the upcoming DNC fall meeting scheduled for September 10-12, 2009.

As the second largest and most diverse state in the country, Texas is quickly proving itself to be an important state for the long term growth and success of the Democratic Party. The selection of Austin as the site of the fall DNC meeting clearly shows that the significant gains we've made over the past two election cycles have not gone unnoticed.

With so much at stake in the 2010 election, this meeting is an opportunity for the Texas Democratic Party to show national Democratic Party leaders that Texas is on the right track and that we are worth investing in.

Thank you for all your hard work - your support makes this great news possible. We'll provide more information as it develops.

Your friend and fellow Democrat,



Boyd L. Richie
Chairman
Texas Democratic Party

Nice writeup about Texas City Municipal Shooting Range

I know things have been quiet around here since the Legislature gaveled its latest session to a close, but I found a nice little story about the Texas City Municipal Shooting Range that I figured you'd enjoy taking a look at.

What appeals to me most of all is the fact that the range is bringing people together for some good company and harmless fun. Involving firearms. Yes, gun-control advocates, it can be done.

Concealed-carry on campus is dead - so what killed it?

What kept concealed handguns at Texas colleges from being legalized by the 81st session of the Texas Legislature?

Here's a prime suspect: Voter ID.

Republican legislators were so hell-bent on passing this repressive and useless law that they scuttled their own time-honored rules of procedure just so they could keep Democrats from blocking a vote on the Voter ID bill.

The result was a five-day filibuster on the House floor, courtesy of Democratic legislators, that stretched over Memorial Day weekend. When the dust settled, Voter ID was dead, but so were hundreds of other bills - including SB 1164.

Democrats played by the rules - their "chubbing" strategy wasn't pretty, but it got the job done. And that means pro-ID Republicans have two years to sit at home and think about their folly at the Capitol that resulted in a host of good laws being scuttled. They have nobody else to blame but themselves.

Texas Senate tells US Congress to put a halt to Holt (SCR 54)

Today, the Senate passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 54, authored by Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls), which admonishes legislators in DC to "cease and desist" attempting to pass Federal laws such as Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009, otherwise known as HR 54 on Capitol Hill. If you haven't read HR 54 yet, do yourself a favor and take a peek - it's not pretty.

Fortunately, the Holt bill isn't getting much traction on the Hill, but that didn't stop the Senate from adopting the resolution with a 25-6 vote.

The latest on the campus CHL bill

SB 1164 has been reported favorably without amendments out of a formal meeting by the House Committee on Public Safety. As a result, there will be no public hearing in the House to discuss SB 1164 as there was in the Senate.

After the bill is printed on a committee report and distributed, its next destination is the Calendars Committee for scheduling to be read and debated on the House floor.

The clock is ticking, though - the 81st Regular Session of the Texas Legislature ends on Monday, June 1.

Texas Senate passes campus CHL bill

It's official - by a vote of 20-11, the Senate has passed SB 1164, which will allow students with valid Texas CHL licenses to carry concealed handguns at university dorms and classrooms.

SB 1164 now heads for the House, where it will be read for the first time and then referred to committee by the Speakers as per legislative procedure.

Stay tuned...

SB 1164 passes Senate hurdle, may face final vote tomorrow

SB 1164, the Senate version of the campus concealed-carry bill, has passed to engrossment as amended by a reported vote of 20-10. Look for a final Senate vote on the bill as early as tomorrow, after which it's the House's turn.