Texas House Committee Assignments announced

[KC5AV]

https://capitol.texas.gov/Committees/Co ... ?Chamber=H

[dhoobler]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

[Flightmare]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

It may be a redistricting year, but census numbers are likely not going to be provided until April/May. Since the session ends May 31st this year, I expect that redistricting will end up being done in a special session.

[KC5AV]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

Calendars Vice Chair - (D) Joe Moody - 17% rating from TSRA D
Homeland Security Vice Chair - (D) Rhetta Andrews Bowers - TSRA F
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Vice Chair - (D) Yvonne Davis - TSRA F

I’m not sure Speaker Phelan has done us any favors.

[Flightmare]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

Calendars Vice Chair - (D) Joe Moody - 17% rating from TSRA F
Homeland Security Vice Chair - (D) Rhetta Andrews Bowers - TSRA F
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Vice Chair - (D) Yvonne Davis - TSRA F

I’m not sure Speaker Phelan has done us any favors.

Considering the makeup of the house is closely split between republicans and democrats, it is not uncommon to appoint a member of the minority party as vice chair of committees. That being said, a majority of both committees are gun friendly republicans.

[KC5AV]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

Calendars Vice Chair - (D) Joe Moody - 17% rating from TSRA D
Homeland Security Vice Chair - (D) Rhetta Andrews Bowers - TSRA F
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Vice Chair - (D) Yvonne Davis - TSRA F

I’m not sure Speaker Phelan has done us any favors.

Considering the makeup of the house is closely split between republicans and democrats, it is not uncommon to appoint a member of the minority party as vice chair of committees. That being said, a majority of both committees are gun friendly republicans.

I just expect the very poor ratings of those Dems to be a major roadblock to any meaningful progress.

[Flightmare]

Committee Chairmen
Calendars - Dustin Burrows - TSRA A+
Homeland security - James White - TSRA A
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence - TSRA A

Good job Speaker Phelan.

I think that most 2A related bills go to Homeland Security committee and Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee. Calendars is where a lot of good bills die. It is excellent that we have a friend chairing that committee.

Given that this is a redistricting year, I am not sure how much attention 2A bills will get.

Calendars Vice Chair - (D) Joe Moody - 17% rating from TSRA D
Homeland Security Vice Chair - (D) Rhetta Andrews Bowers - TSRA F
Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Vice Chair - (D) Yvonne Davis - TSRA F

I’m not sure Speaker Phelan has done us any favors.

Considering the makeup of the house is closely split between republicans and democrats, it is not uncommon to appoint a member of the minority party as vice chair of committees. That being said, a majority of both committees are gun friendly republicans.

I just expect the very poor ratings of those Dems to be a major roadblock to any meaningful progress.

I'm sure they will make every attempt to be a road block. On the Homeland Security and Public Safety committee, they hold only 3 votes to 6 republicans.

[Beiruty]

What do you like to see passed for this session?

[Vol Texan]

What do I want to see passed?

It's a small thing that only affects a few of us, but it's something I want to see.

Currently, Presiding Judges (PJs) can carry at the election, but only because the AG's interpretation of the law states that we can. Alternate Judges (AJs) cannot, nor can anyone else (poll watchers, etc.)

In my precinct, even though my election site is within an elementary school, I carry all day long, because as PJ, I'm allowed to do so.

If a precinct is majority republican, then the PJ is republican, and the AJ is democrat (as are the majority of the poll watchers, because they want to watch a republican-run site. Of course, if the precinct is majority democrat, then it's all the opposite, leaving the republican AJ and poll watchers unarmed (and probably the PJ as well, because democrats hate guns almost as much as they hate us)

So...here's what I'd like to see: Instead of PJs carrying because of an interpretation of the law, codify it. Make it crystal clear so that nobody misunderstands. While we're at it, make it such that AJs (and perhaps poll watchers) can carry as well, because republicans doing those jobs are doing so in rather hostile areas - some of them are just hostile to republicans, but others are actually dangerous neighborhoods.

Other things I'd like to see:

If we do get constitutional carry, i assume that 3006 and 3007 will be expanded to cover all carry, rather than just licensed carry. Rather than an expansion of these laws, I'd rather it be a 'lift and shift'. Let them cover constitutional carry only, but make Texas like so many other states where signage has no impact on license holders.

Eliminate as many statutorily-prohibited locations as possible: my character does not change from 'good guy' to 'bad guy' just because I walk into my daughter's school to watch her in a play, nor does it change if I enter Sam Houston Racetrack, etc.

For the very few remaining places where I cannot carry (e.g. inside a courtroom), make it mandatory for them to provide a safe storage for my handgun so I don't have to leave it in my car.

And finally, I'd like to see a law that requires every ammo seller to keep a few boxes aside for me at pre-panicdemic prices, just in case I walk in and want some

[Beiruty]

Since, the Pandemic prices are so crazy. I would like to see sales tax on Guns and Ammo suspended until we go back to 2019 prices.

[Liberty]

I want to see the "shoulder or belt" restriction removed. I don't open carry much,. But I wish to remove my holster and insert it between my seat and console without being foul of the law.

[NotRPB]

I want to see the "shoulder or belt" restriction removed. I don't open carry much,. But I wish to remove my holster and insert it between my seat and console without being foul of the law.

And at the beach it would not be necessary to explain a bathing suit top is a "shoulder holster" and why a 66 year old man is wearing one

(I could switch to an ankle holster ,,, assuming I carried a Glock designed to shed desert sand instead of jamming with beach sand) and look much more manly on the beach.

YES, I'M JOKING

[ELB]

The problem is not the number of Dems on the committee, or even that the vice chairmen are anti-gun Dems. The problem is what promises Phelan made to get the Dems to vote for him as Speaker.

Clearly putting Dems in as vice-chairs on important committees was one of the promises, but the Dems didn't sell their votes just to put the title "vice chair" behind somebody's name. The Dems no doubt extracted promises that certain legislation would or would not pass this session. I haven't done a detailed comparison, but a similar situation existed under Bonnen in the last session. The result was a lot of anti-gun measures died in committee, and a some helpful pro-gun bills passed, but nothing big went forward (I think the knife thing was the biggest expansion). It was three yards and a cloud of dust with some first downs, not a long bomb into the end zone.

With the Dems feeling frisky because of China Joe in the White House and having control of both federal houses and major cities in Texas, plus all the noise about "insurrection," I even fear some "common sense" restrictions may get through. I also expect to see "peaceful protesters" from the left wing side invade the capitol during 2A hearings, while any mass show of support for 2A will have the Dems and their newspapers clamoring about "armed insurrectionists."

Anyway, I don't expect any form of constitutional carry to pass, nor any serious rollback of "no-go" areas for licensed carry. I would be happy to be wrong.

[Flightmare]

The problem is not the number of Dems on the committee, or even that the vice chairmen are anti-gun Dems. The problem is what promises Phelan made to get the Dems to vote for him as Speaker.

Clearly putting Dems in as vice-chairs on important committees was one of the promises, but the Dems didn't sell their votes just to put the title "vice chair" behind somebody's name. The Dems no doubt extracted promises that certain legislation would or would not pass this session. I haven't done a detailed comparison, but a similar situation existed under Bonnen in the last session. The result was a lot of anti-gun measures died in committee, and a some helpful pro-gun bills passed, but nothing big went forward (I think the knife thing was the biggest expansion). It was three yards and a cloud of dust with some first downs, not a long bomb into the end zone.

With the Dems feeling frisky because of China Joe in the White House and having control of both federal houses and major cities in Texas, plus all the noise about "insurrection," I even fear some "common sense" restrictions may get through. I also expect to see "peaceful protesters" from the left wing side invade the capitol during 2A hearings, while any mass show of support for 2A will have the Dems and their newspapers clamoring about "armed insurrectionists."

Anyway, I don't expect any form of constitutional carry to pass, nor any serious rollback of "no-go" areas for licensed carry. I would be happy to be wrong.

It is very common for the chair and vice chair to be members of different parties.
https://ballotpedia.org/Homeland_Securi ... sentatives
In the last 10 years, only one time has there been both the chair and vice chair of the same party.

I would argue that the odds of pro-2a legislation passing is better this session than last. Last session, the chair of the house homeland security & public safety committee was F rated Pancho Nevarez. This year, it is A rated James White, as well as multiple representatives who have filed pro-2A pieces of legislation. Additionally, the house calendars committee has multiple pro-2A members. Additionally, this is the first session in 5 years to see constitutional carry even filed in the senate.

While all of this does not guarantee that we will see a huge restoration of 2A rights, I believe the odds are better than they were 2 years ago. Just my 2 cents.

[ELB]

Good points and I hope you are correct, I am pessimistic about the next two years in general and feel we will have to be happy just holding the line at federal and state levels, but I still don't expect any big moves on the order of campus carry or open carry (i.e. no con-carry).