Texas COC&I Region 10

05/01/2023

URGENT CAL TO ACTION FOR HB 230(TXGANG Accountability). We need everyone to call the numbers below and encourage them to allow HB 230 be heard and voted on on the House Floor. This has to be done over the next 48hours!!!

URGENT CAL TO ACTION FOR HB 230(TXGANG Accountability). We need everyone to call the numbers below and encourage the members of the Calendars Committee to allow HB 230 be heard and voted on on the House Floor. This has to be done over the next 48hours!!!

04/23/2023

https://www.facebook.com/txcoci/photos/a.249094958566518/2648880431921280/

PROFILING UPDATE. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE.

Tuesday, April 25th, 2023, HB258 (MOTORCYCLE PROFILING) is set to be heard in the House Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee during their meeting set to begin at 14:00 in room E2.012 of the Capitol Extension.

HB 258 Author: González, Mary
Caption: Relating to motorcycle profiling by peace officers

House Committee: Homeland Security & Public Safety (In)
Bill text link: https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=HB258

There is no way to know in advance to know exactly when our bill will be brought up. Rep. González and the committee's members will have other hearings to attend or bills to lay out in other committees. The Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee’s agenda is a long one. All this to say that Rep. González could lay out this bill at almost any time on Tuesday. Region 1 members of TCOC&I and confirmed members from other Regions will be there from start to finish, helping as we can.

The Capitol opens to the public at 7am and is accessible only through the north entrance. We will likely start arriving by 12:30 to make sure we are registered to testify at one of the many kiosks available by the committee rooms. Help will be provided by your TCOC&I volunteers.

Participation Levels based on your availability:

Option 1: For those who are coming to the Capitol and will be spending a good portion of the day with the TCOC&I team and are looking to speak; meet Clutch outside of the Committee room doors and he will help you get registered to speak. You can create an account ahead of time at https://mytxlegis.capitol.texas.gov/HWRSPublic/About.aspx , scroll to the bottom and follow directions under “REGISTRATON RECOMMENDATIONS”. Otherwise, there will be IPADS in the hallway to sign-up. On that day, you must choose the box that says “I would like to provide testimony” to be considered by committee members. Plan on it being a long day. If you are looking to speak, keep it to 2 minutes and keep the testimony on point. We are the experts here and our goal is to educate those who do not realize this is a problem. Please do so with patience but be able to answer challenges without frustration.

Option 2: For those persons who will be attending but not testifying, information for in-person witness registration, can be found here:
https://mytxlegis.capitol.texas.gov/HWRSPublic/About.aspx . This will allow you to sign -up and offer support for HB258. You should simply be able to support the bill by choosing the bill number (HB258) and offer a comment.

Option 3: We challenge everyone who works in or around downtown or can break away for lunch to do this. Come to the Capitol grounds and log on to the Capitol WI-FI at the instructions here https://mytxlegis.capitol.texas.gov/HWRSPublic/About.aspx under “MOBILE DEVICE ACCESS”. Register as present and support HB258. If you have comments you would like to leave that are in support of the bill and will advance the process, also leave those at https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c420 . Choose the bill and write your comment for the Committee to review. Remember, your comments will then be a matter of record.

Option 4: We ask every single soul of voting age, if you cannot make it at all and wish to electronically submit comments related to HB258 without testifying in person, you can do so until the hearing is adjourned by visiting: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c420 . Again, this will be entered as a matter of record for the Committee to review. Be polite, concise, and stick to the topic.

Below are links for more information:
House Homeland Security & Public Safety
https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/MembershipCmte.aspx ...

Committee agenda for Tuesday, April 25
https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/schedules/pdf/C4202023042514001.PDF
Public Access to House Committee Meetings
https://www.house.texas.gov/.../public-access-house.../

A live video broadcast of this hearing will be available here:
https://house.texas.gov/video-audio/

Capitol parking
https://tspb.texas.gov/plan/parking/parking.html

04/14/2023

UPDATE: Yesterday, HB 230 was approved UNANIMOUSLY by the Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee and our next step is the Calendars Committee, which sets the agenda for floor consideration by the full House. Clutch and Paul will be reaching out to recognize and thank the Chair and members of the Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee for supporting the bill as well as our joint authors, Reps. Matt Schaefer and Terry Canales. Movement afoot. One ,ore check added to the list.

03/18/2023

https://www.facebook.com/txcoci/photos/a.249094958566518/2623388381137152

CRITICAL CALL TO ACTION #1 Beginning Monday, March 20, 2023: ACTIVE until communicated otherwise.

Due to the hard work of your Texas COC&I team and partnering groups, we have 2 House Bills we need your help to move into the Committee hearing process. We need each and everyone of you to call the members of the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee and request that they allow us to testify on behalf of the bills in their committee. Now that these bills are filed it is up to this Community to make the noise to get them moving through the process. Below is a brief example of what you might say when calling or writing the Representative. Additionally, we have added the Member’s contact information to make it easy for you. As you read this understand, while many patch holders are faced with this being a “reactive” effort answering the attack on Constitutional rights, you Independents are afforded the luxury of a “proactive” opportunity to protect your right to ride free without being targeted for your chosen form of transportation or method of dress. We need everyone together, in the same boat, rowing in the same direction to get this done. Please be respectful to their staff. Thank you and as always, LOUD BIKERS SAVE RIGHTS!!

Committee Members and Contact information:
Chairman Guillen: (512) 463-0416
Vice-Chairman Jarvis: (512) 463-0554
Representative Bowers: (512) 463-0464
Representative Canales: (512) 463-0426
Representative Dorazio: (512) 463-0646
Representative Goodwin: (512) 463-0652
Representative Harless: (512) 463-0496
Representative Holland: (512) 463-0484
Representative Troxclair: 512-463-0490

for emails go to: https://house.texas.gov/committees/committee/?committee=C420

Example of what you could say,

“Hello, my name is _________ and I am calling as a proud Texan and avid motorcyclist. It is important to me and my family to be able to present information regarding the House Bills 258 and 230 before your/their Committee.
• HB 258, relating to motorcycle profiling by peace officers because no one should be targeted for harassment, coercive search at the threat of arrest, and data collection simply for choosing to ride a motorcycle or for the type of clothing they choose to wear.
• HB230, relating to reform and accountability of intelligence databases for combinations and criminal street gangs, specifically related to bikers, because our community has witnessed the arbitrary inclusion of motorcyclists into the Texas Gang Database who do not have an affiliation with known or defined street gangs identified by Texas DPS threat assessment reports. Although this was designed to be an investigatory tool not to infringe on anyone’s rights, it has turned into a punitive list to chill Constitutional rights as agreed upon by two Federal judges in El Paso and Bexar Counties. Many others have come forward reporting their inclusion and describing the impossible task of getting off of the list and the negative impact it has had on their professional and personal lives. All without due process.

There are over 1.2 million Class M license holders in the great State of Texas and I am asking for your support to implement legislation to secure all of our rights for the future.

Respectfully,
(Your name)

02/24/2023

If you have the ability to attend we encourage you to. It is time to thank these lawmakers for getting both Profiling Resolutions passed on the Federal level.

02/23/2023

01/03/2023

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