[ThePagan]

From Carol Smith, AMA District Rep & TMTC ATV User Rep:

ANYONE WHO IS ABLE TO ATTEND EITHER OR BOTH OF THESE COMMITTEE HEARINGS, PLEASE DO - THIS MAY BE THE ONLY PUBLIC TESTIMONY WE GET !!!!!

If you can't attend, call the committee or legislators office. Hand write a short note to the Committee and fax it or email your opinions, immediately.(Contact info for these folks is below.) If you need "talking points", see www.rockcrawler.com , go to the "home" link (a big blue dot) at the left of the opening page. Scroll to the bottom of the home page to "landuse alerts" and click on TX. There will be links from that page to the Senate and House legislative pages where you may read the text of the bills yourself. Please feel free to send this info out to all you believe are interested in keeping our public lands open.

The two companion bills relating to the prohibition of motorized vehicles in public freshwater areas ( the floodplains/riverbeds) have been sent to committee, both committees will be hearing public testimony on Tuesday, March 18th, 2003 at the State Capitol in Austin. These bills are both traveling through the House and the Senate at the same time, on the "fast track". Should these bills be passed and signed by the Governor, they will become law on Sept.1, 2003.

House Bill 305 Authored by Robert Puente of San Antonio
Committee: State Cultural and Recreational Resources, Committee Clerk: Cori
Tues. 3/18/03 2 PM State Capitol Room E2- 014

Senate Bill 155 Authored by Judith Zaffirini of Laredo
Committee: Committee on Natural Resources, Committee Clerk: Kelly Gilbert
Tues. 3/18/03 1 PM State Capitol Room E1- 012


Committee info and contact numbers:

HB 305- State Cultural and Recreational Committee
Chairperson: Harvey Hilderbran
(512) 463-0536
[email protected]
Legislative Aide: Todd Kercheval
[email protected]

SB 155 - Committee on Natural Resources
Chairperson: Ken Armbrister
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0118
(512) 475-3736 (Fax)
[email protected]


Representative Robert Puente - author of SB 155
PO Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768-2910
(512) 463-0452 voice (512) 463-1447 Fax
[email protected]
General Counsel to Rep. Puente: Hope Wells

Senator Judith Zaffirini - author of HB 305
PO Box 12068
Austin, TX 78711
(512) 463-0121
[email protected]
Legislative Aide to Sen. Zaffirini: Chance Sampson

 

[Chister]

Love the advanced notice.

I even signed up on the State Senate Website that sends emails to ya when the status of a Bill changes.

Pffft. Tryin' to walk this in under our noses.

 

[TexasBlake]

Anyone have any info on how it went?

 

[ThePagan]

4 against
300 for

The bill has made it out of committee and onto the floor. Since most wheelers won't get off their asses and it's always someone elses's problem...

That's how it went..

Oh yeah.. there were a few changes:

(1) Camps and other money making facitlities can still drive thru the river because building a bridge would just cost too much and be ugly.

(2) CIties and municipalities can still choose to do whatever they want if their making money and it's approved by "their" water districts and not in violoation with the the rest of the rulings.

(3) Rivers who's headwaters start (and end??) outside of Texas are exempt from these rules (Which means the Canadian River - for example - does not have to follow the rules applied to the rest of the state).

So let's see... if your making money (farmers, hunting leases etc), getting money thru tax breaks (farmers, hunting leases, agricultre), loosing money (cities, special camps) or would have to spend money (special camps) then you are exempt from these rules..

But if your a citizen who neither pays (other then taxes) or makes money from these activities you are hereby banned and made illegal.

Also there was a comment.. "This legislation is not about hikers or bikers... yet".

 

[landusepbb]

4 against
300 for

The bill has made it out of committee and onto the floor. Since most wheelers won't get off their asses and it's always someone elses's problem...

Welcome to the main reason I'm extremely burned out when it comes to land use issues anymore. I know exactly how it feels to be a lone voice crying in the ever expanding wilderness.

BTW, my op-ed for ORC for next month addresses something on this note, I'll post it tomorrow.

 

[vb]

brad i thought you were holdin me up on the burn out!! it happening all over. they (the greens) take more and more and drive us to smaller and smaller areas and then drive us from there because of the greater useage doing greater damage and still we cant get more the 6 post on any item on this part of the pirate board.
sorry to hear shawn. im mad as i can be about it. it is just wrong. i was told by a lawyer once that right is not always what prevails.
i want to support the folks buyin up private land to wheel on. i hope your group is already lineing up legislation to keep folks from telling you that you can not wheel on private property