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Rep. Fletcher, sponsor of #campuscarry bill on conference committee deal: "I see it as a workable bill that this House will pass." #txlege

H Conf. Comm. Report distributed 05/30/2015 12:22 AM

Sen. Brian Birdwell, author of the campus carry bill, said he was fine with a tweak to allow public schools the ability to declare parts of campus off-limits to guns, but not the entire campus. But touting private property rights, he said he opposed getting rid of a total opt-out choice for private schools.

To avoid a Democratic filibuster, campus carry supporters hoped to file paperwork Friday that would allow debate on Saturday. A Birdwell aide said he thought that positive negotiations would allow backers to avoid any procedural hiccups.

Asked what Democrats might do then to stop campus carry, Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, rephrased a reporter’s question.

“What else can Texans do?” he said. “Pray.”

NotRPB wrote:

v7a wrote:Martinez Fischer? That's going to be a fun conference meeting

He was on record in a news article as stating h was pro-campus carry, until an open carry incident in his office ...

Campus carry could hurt Texas universities' ability to recruit and retain quality faculty, and could drive up tuition, University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven said in a letter sent to state representatives a day before the legislation hits the House floor for debate.

"The presence of handguns on Texas campuses, where we would be one of fewer than 10 states to allow this conduct, may well cause faculty to be discouraged from relocating from other states," wrote McRaven, best known for leading the raid that killed Osama bin Laden during his tenure as the head of U.S. Special Operations Command. "The intuitive answer is that the presence of concealed weapons will make us less competitive."

McRaven wrote the letter, dated April 20, in response to questions from Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie. The letter was distributed House-wide Monday morning, the day before the chamber is scheduled to debate Senate Bill 11, which would allow licensed gun owners to carry concealed handguns into college buildings and dormitories. Currently, concealed handgun licensees only are allowed to bring their guns into the open, outdoor areas of campuses.

In his letter, McRaven also reiterated concerns about the cost of implementing the legislation, which the Chronicle reported could cost the state's public universities more than $47 million over six years to update security systems, build gun storage facilities and bolster campus police units.

I may be late to the game here, but word is #campuscarry debate will take place on House floor Tuesday #txlege #gunbills #SB11