Texas Matters is a Thursday evening series focusing on Texas political news while sharing information and strategies with the aim of taking back our state.
ACTION ALERT: Make Your Voice Heard on Redistricting!
Yesterday, nomandates posted an important and informative diary on the redistricting field hearings being held in Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Corpus Christi from today until June 12. For those not able to keep up with the $35,000/day (yes, you read that correctly) special session Governor Perry called for the purpose of redistricting, Burnt Orange Report about sums it up in a little over a paragraph:
Rick Perry called a special session of the Legislature to pass "legislation which ratifies and adopts the interim redistricting plans" used in the 2012 election. This is a map which maintains Republicans' iron, unrepresentative grip on Texas' congressional delegation. Rick Perry is desperate to get this map passed because a federal court ruled in April that Republicans intentionally discriminated against minorities in the controversial 2011 map, leaving a new map to be drawn by a San Antonio federal court. That map is likely to be much more fair, and thus give much more opportunity to Democrats. Perry wants to get the still-discriminatory-but-slightly-less-so 2012 map solidified so Texans don't get a fair map.
The daily cost to taxpayers of this craven politically-motivated session? A full $35,000. The cost for this whole special session, if it goes the full 30 days? Between $1 million and $1.2 million.
This special session is a blatant (and expensive) attempt to under-represent minorities and ensure that Republicans hold the reins of power in Austin for the foreseeable future. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to make our voices heard. The legislature has scheduled a number of field hearings to gather public opinion on the discriminatory maps Governor Perry wants to ram through the special session. It is vitally important that we take full advantage of these hearings.
Empower the Vote Texas offers
a few ways for all of us to get involved:
Good - Sign this petition! We'll make sure it gets to all the members of the Lege.
Better - Attend a public hearing and register against HB/SB 1, HB/SB 3, and HB/SB 4 (the bills that would make the interim maps permanent). All you have to do is fill out a card and your position becomes part of the official record of the hearings. A good option if you can attend but are uncomfortable testifying.
AWESOME - Testify at one of the public hearings! There is nothing more compelling than hearing from voters about how legislation impacts you. Come let the committee members know how the current maps don't fairly represent your community.
More on getting involved below the fold.
From nomandates' diary, here is the House and Senate hearing schedule, complete with dates, times, and locations. If you're near any of these hearing locations, please try your best to at least show up and register your opinion. We need all the help we can get.
Texas House of Representatives
The House Special Select Redistricting Committee has scheduled public hearings in Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston:
Dallas: Thursday, June 6 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.
DART Headquarters
Board Room - 1st Floor
1401 Pacific Ave., Dallas, TX 75202
Notice of Public Hearing
San Antonio: Monday, June 10 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M
VIA Metro Center
Terry Eskridge Community Room
1021 San Pedro Ave, San Antonio, TX 78212
Notice of Public Hearing
Houston: Wednesday, June 12 , 2013 @ 2:00 P.M.
University of Houston - Main Campus
Michael J. Cemo Hall, Room 100 D
4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77004
Notice of Public Hearing
If you attend a House hearing, sign in AGAINST HB 1, HB 3, and HB 4.
Public testimony will be limited to 5 minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 25 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.
[...]
Texas Senate
The Senate Select Committee on Redistricting has scheduled public hearings in Austin, Corpus Christi, and Houston:
Austin: Thursday, June 06, 2013 @ 9:00 AM
Capitol Extension, Room E1.036
Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028
Live broadcast
Notice of Public Hearing
Corpus Christi: Friday, June 07, 2013 @ 5:00 PM
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
University Center, Lone Star Ballroom
6300 Ocean Drive
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412
Notice of Public Hearing
Houston: Saturday, June 08, 2013 @ 11:00 AM
University of Houston
Michael J. Cemo Hall
4800 Calhoun Road
Houston, Texas 77004
Notice of Public Hearing
Austin: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 @ 9:00 AM
E1.036 (Finance Room)
Two overflow rooms will be available in E1.016 and E1.028.
Live broadcast
Notice of Public Hearing
If you attend a Senate hearing, sign in AGAINST SB 1, SB 3, and SB 4.
Note the live broadcasts of the Austin hearings.
Invited and public testimony will be taken. Public testimony may be limited to three minutes. If submitting written testimony, please provide 30 copies to the committee clerk with your name on each.
If you can't make it to a hearing, please consider making your voice heard by calling your legislators (you can find your legislators
here), especially members of the relevant House and Senate committees (which can be found
here). If you don't think your voice will make any difference, it will. I interned for some time in a Congressional office taking calls, and I can assure you that when people start making their voices heard, the legislator will notice. Clearly state your case and register your opinion against the maps, and it will be noted. All of us should be calling our legislators, even if we can't make it to the hearings. This is not an issue on which any of us can afford to be silent.
Check out nomandates' diary for more information and links on the redistricting issue.
Immigration News
Our own Senator John Cornyn, the America's Voice-named Biggest Hypocrite on Immigration, is back in the news on the issue. Despite the Senate immigration bill providing for the largest enforcement increase in American history, it's not good enough for Cornyn. Now he's back with a "sweeping amendment" that will replace the border security section of the bill and possibly threaten the path to citizenship. All for...what? A "yea" vote? Yeah right. From Burnt Orange Report:
There he goes again. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) is up to his old tricks on immigration. POLITICO reports that Senator Cornyn will introduce a "sweeping amendment to the immigration bill when it goes to the floor next week, seeking to replace an entire section devoted to border security and tweak the national security and criminal justice titles." The Washington Post has an outline of the amendment, which seems to call for hard triggers that threaten the path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants and for restrictions on who is eligible for getting on the path in the first place.
According to Frank Sharry, Executive Director of America's Voice:
This is classic Cornyn. We know the pattern all too well. He pretends to be sincere about the need for reform. He asks for changes that are a bridge too far. He destabilizes the bipartisan agreement already in place. He helps to thwart reform. He votes no in the end anyway. That's why we bestowed a lifetime achievement award for being the 'Biggest Hypocrite on Immigration.'"
In other immigration news, a new study out of Harvard Medical School has found that, unsurprisingly, immigrants contribute far more to Medicare than they get from it. The moral justification for immigration reform is clear, but there is also a practical side. Immigrants, as we keep finding, are crucial to our economy and society. From the
Austin American Statesman:
[A new] study, led by researchers at Harvard Medical School, measured immigrants' contributions to the part of Medicare that pays for hospital care, a trust fund that accounts for nearly half of the federal program's revenue. It found that immigrants generated surpluses totaling $115 billion from 2002 to 2009. In comparison, the American-born population incurred a deficit of $28 billion over the same period.
The findings shed light on what demographers have long known: Immigrants are crucial in balancing the age structure of American society, providing an infusion of young, working-age adults who support the country's aging population and help cover the costs of Medicare and Social Security. And with the largest generation in the United States, the baby boomers, now starting to retire, the financial help from immigrants has never been more needed, experts said.
This Week in Texas Anti-Gay News
The homophobia is running thick in the San Antonio District 8 runoff election for Councilman Reed Williams' seat. Rolando Briones (who has been endorsed by Williams) is running against Ron Nirenberg, the apparent front-runner after capturing almost 50 percent of the vote. The election has taken a turn for the ugly. QSanAntonio.com provides some disturbing background on Briones:
Rolando Briones...candidate in the runoff election for City Council District 8, has aligned himself with Pastor Gerald Ripley and his followers in opposing the inclusion of LGBT protections in the city's non-discrimination ordinances.
Ripley, who represents Voices of Marriage, along with representatives of the Texas Leadership Coalition, the San Antonio Family Association and the Responsible Government Coalition held a press conference on the steps of City Hall on May 22.
The groups not only oppose the ordinance changes but they also want to roll back the domestic partnership benefits that were granted to the same-sex partners of city employees in 2011. Additionally, they are against Mayor Castro's appointment of a liaison to the LGBT community.
Briones was at the press conference but did not speak from the podium. Instead, a statement was read on his behalf by David Rosa, who last year ran for the 20th District Congressional seat against Joaquin Castro who won the race handily.
It gets worse. Some voters in District 8
have apparently received a viciously anti-gay (and anonymous) mailer attacking Nirenberg:
Coincidence? Well, Briones certainly isn't condemning the mailer.
Welcome to 2013. Look familiar?
Texas Diary Roundup
Renewable Rider: The Keystone XL Shuffle (6/3/2013)
Steve Horn: Dirty Details: Dents, Faulty Welds Found Along Keystone XL Southern Half in Texas (6/4/2013)
nomandates: Dallas Tea Party leader: "The Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote..." (updatedx2) (6/4/2013)
Steven D: Two White Officers fired for Beating a Black Woman in Jasper, TX (where James Byrd was murdered) (6/4/2013)
kos: Texas is going to get very, very interesting. And Blue. (6/4/2013)
kos: National Republicans scrambling to keep Texas Red (6/5/2013)
poopdogcomedy: TX-Sen: America's Voice Goes After John Cornyn (R) For Trying To Derail Immigration Reform (6/6/2013)
nomandates: Texas Redistricting Field Hearings: June 6-12, 2013 (6/6/2013)
cassandracarolina: Megachurch Marketing Machinations (6/6/2013)
Got more Texas news stories or action alerts? Share them in the comments!