Big News on the Water and Elections Front! Read, share and please take action!
from l to r: Amy Hinnant, Michele Gangnes, Judith McGeary and Amy’s mother, Helen Jurica
►On Tuesday, Milam and Burleson County landowners with 3 volunteer attorneys dealt the Vista Ridge/San Antone Hose an unexpected blow. This is a big deal, folks — read our press release! ⇒Legacy Farm Landowner Amy Hinnant Contests Vista Ridge Variance~! If you live in Milam or Burleson County, join us next Tuesday, April 4 at 5:30 pm at the next Post Oak Savannah Groundwater Conservation District Meeting, at 310 Avenue C, Milano, TX. Come a little early if you can and bring your neighbors! Post Oak is listening, but will it be enough?
They look friendly, but they are not.
►Understand that mass movement of groundwater is THE big wealth transfer planned for this session. Our incoming generations will pay if we let this happen.
With 10 lobbyists for every Texas legislator, it’s no wonder that during the battle over bathrooms, the water profiteering lobby pushed a bevy of bills that would bring the California Water Model (“Gridzilla”) to Texas. Despite what the water overlords in the House and Senate seem to think — that’s Rep. Lyle Larson (R-San Antonio) and Senator Charles Perry (R-Lubbock) — Texans have them outnumbered just a tad.
Take a look at these slides by our own Michele Gangnes presented at the Texas Populism Conference last Saturday and follow our action request.
Action Please!
►Water Grab Update: We need your help to get co-sponsors and a hearing on Rep. John Cyrier’s bill, HB 3996, for a Sunset Review of SAWS (San Antonio Water System). Action: Call your House and Senate member (find them here) and tell them it’s not OK for SAWS to be a water bully, roaming far and wide for water grabs, and then brokering water to places outside its own service area while making their own ratepayers foot the bill for their escapades! Ask legislators to sponsor HB 3996. Tell them you also expect them to kill any bills they see that do harm to the local control of groundwater and/or pave the way for unregulated mega-projects…and to expect many. They can contact LIV for details. Keep an eye on our News Section for updates and watch your email please!
►Electoral Competition Update: The good news is that HB 3068 — the Voter Choice Act —
to open up the Texas ballot for more electoral choices, has been referred to committee. The sponsor — Rep. Ron Reynolds, who serves on the Elections Committee — is hot to trot for a hearing. Action: Call your state legislators, House and Senate, (find them here) to ask that they support this bill. If you can make it to Austin, get ready to come testify — possibly as early as April 10th or April 17th. Again, keep an eye on our News Section and read your emails!
Take a look at Mark Miller’s presentation at the Texas Populism Conference — a deep dive into how we got to monopolized elections.
Lois’ SB 740 deserves passage this session
►No eminent Domain for Private Gain Update: A hearing on Sen. Lois Kolkhort’s SB 740 — the awarding of attorney fees to landowners when condemnation threats are given with lowball offers — is this Monday, April 3, 9 am in the Senate Chamber. Let us know if you want to testify (we’ll assist you). You can watch any and all hearings on your computer from in the Senate from here and in the House from here, At the risk of being a broken record, keep an eye on our News Section and read your emails!
►Lest we forget the major attack in the last legislative session on Texans’ right to petition in home rule cities and that we have problems with verifying elections (aka “a paper trail”) in Texas, here’s Tom Glass’s presentation at our Populism Conference. Tom is helping LIV track these bills along with many others. We support SB 488 that made it out of committee this week, but we remain on our toes for bad bills and so should you.
More on what you can do! (Note: if you want to do more, please call us or reply…we have plenty more for you to do!)Help us track bills and hearings! Send us updates! “The Lobby” is on the move in this session, so we must work together. We urge you to make phone calls to the state legislator’s offices in Austin (emails are too easy to ignore), OR, if you cannot get through, call their district offices. Writing letters to the editor are VERY helpful as well as sharing this entire message on Facebook or other social networks. Some folks are even taking out ads in their local papers. If you want to contribute to ads — donate and let us know that is what you are giving to…or call us. We have other things for you to do if you’re up to it!
Thank you so much if you were able to attend the Our Water, Our Land, Our Elections Lobby Day and/or the Texas Populism conference!
Wherever you live, no matter your party affiliation or lack thereof, you’re invited to become a new member of the League of Independent Voters or renew your dues. Your attendance fee at the Texas Populism Conference of $15 can count towards your membership.
Click here to become a dues paying member of LIV and get this lovely bumper sticker.
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