Only 2 hurdles left between First Responder safety and the Governor's desk!

I have great news for the supporters of the rights of first responders to be able to defend themselves! Texas SB 1408 has passed the Texas Senate and moved on to the Texas House. SB1408 has been scheduled for a committee hearing on Tuesday 5/16/17. The steps that remain to get this quintessentially grass roots legislation passed are: 1. Passage out of committee 2. Debate and a favorable vote on the House floor 3. The governor’s signature I believe that we have the votes in committee, the votes on the House floor, and the governor’s support. That said, there is still a time crunch upon us that we need to contend with. One way to do that is to pass the committee with a unanimous 9-0 vote. A unanimous vote places the bill on a special calendar called the “Uncontested and Local” calendar. Bills placed on this calendar are given priority over other, more contentious bills. Each of you has the power to help, especially those of you who live in the House districts represented by the nine committee members (listed below). If you are motivated to show your support, this is an easy and powerful avenue to do so! Begin by clicking on this link to find out who your Texas Hose Rep is: http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/Home.aspx Then call them and simply state that you are calling to express your support for SB1408. Your call does not only represent you. Each House rep uses a formula to determine how many votes each call represents in their district. Your single phone call may actually mean 5, 10, 20 votes or more. Finally, if you happen to be represented by one of the below representatives, especially those designated with asterisks, please make your voices heard and don’t forget to let them know that you ARE a constituent. A signature on a petition is helpful but direct contact carries far more weight! *Chairman Rep. Phil King (R) - (512) 463-0738 *Vice Chair Rep. Poncho Nevárez (D) - (512) 463-0566 Member Rep. DeWayne Burns (R) - (512) 463-0538 *Member Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) - (512) 463-0668 Member Rep. Justin Holland (R) - (512) 463-0484 **Member Rep. Jarvis D. Johnson (D) - (512) 463-0554 Member Rep. Will Metcalf (R) - (512) 463-0726 Member Rep. Matt Schaefer (R) - (512) 463-0584 Member Rep. John Wray (R) - (512) 463-0516 Thank you all for your support and I hope to be watching the governor sign SB1408 in the coming weeks, thanks in large part to your help and support! As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Christopher McAllister