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82nd Legislative Session and Other Points of
Interest
WALT ROBERTS, ASSIST Executive Vice
President
MY FRIENDS, I WANT TO THANK the members who showed up and made our Legislative Day one of the most productive. Each session these improve. Our biggest problem is that we were competing for parking spaces with South by Southwest and Teachers day at the capital.
Our members that showed up had appointments set and made headway with their state representatives and senators. This session there were more than 5,600 bills filed about 70 of those may have some interest to us. Keith Oakley is vigilantly watching for the hearing dates and we will respond accordingly.
NOW WHAT�S HAPPENING AT THE WRITING OF THIS ARTICLE?
Let�s start with our Lien Bill HB 456, authored by State Representative Eddie Lucio III. It had some opposition, however at this point, Lucio and the opponents are trying to work out language that will allow it to pass out of committee. Next is HB 2656 exempting some appointed police officers. We had a hearing on this bill on March 29. It was the chairman of the Homeland Security and Public Safety�s bill. It had a great deal of opposition from us, thanks to the emails and calls from our membership and those who showed up to testify against the bill. The police are not happy about this bill and between our opposition and the police, they are working on language and the bill is still pending in committee. However, I heard it was passed out of committee last week by the chairman. I�m sure there will be substitutes when it hits the floor.
I am going to say one thing about testifying against a bill like this that exempts the collection of registration fee�s, sales tax and will have an effect on franchise tax. I cannot see where state representatives care. During a time when teachers are losing their jobs and the state is struggling for money, not one representative had anything to say or any questions regarding the loss of revenue caused by this bill.
WHY, ISN�T THAT A CONCERN OF EVERYONE OR DOES PERSONAL AGENDA TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY?
State Representative Linda Harper Brown sponsored bill HB 2528. It hasn�t received a hearing as of yet, but it�s just crazy enough that it probably will. This bill says anyone associated with a security provider must have the words �Not Affiliated with Law Enforcement� on the sides of their vehicles. That means if you drive your personal vehicle, your wife�s car, a rental or a friend�s auto to a sales appointment, those words have to be on the vehicle.
Of course we oppose this bill. It covers most industries governed by 1,702 investigators were exempted. We have some of our friends in this fight. The way I read this bill, our officers would have to have it on their personal vehicles while working guard posts. Hopefully, when this bill is heard or better yet not heard, there will be many of us there to oppose it.
HB 1850 says that boards appointed by the governor cannot enforce those rules until heard by the legislative committee that oversees that board. We are opposed to this bill because it would mean that the Department of Public Safety Private Security Board can only pass new rules every two years when the legislature meets.
SB 1400 is the DPS omnibus bill, meaning a clean-up bill. It does have some language regarding camera systems installers. We do not have any items in this bill.
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