Response from Patricia Harless

[Purplehood]

I sent an e-mail to her office last week advising her of my thoughts on the Campus Carry and Parking Lot bills for the next legislative session. In response I received the following:

November 8, 2010
Dear Friends,
Although the legislative session is still over two months away, early filing of bills for the 82nd Legislature began today at 8am. Our legislative priorities are driven by our constituents' concerns, and this morning we prefiled two bills addressing those priorities. We filed House Bill 112 which strengthens voter identification requirements and House Bill 113 which penalizes cities that are sanctuaries for illegal immigrants. In addition to these bills, we will be prefiling more legislation in the coming weeks. Of course, filing legislation is the first of many steps in the legislative process. Our work is just beginning to ensure passage of these important issues. To monitor the progress of these bills and other legislation, you may access the Texas Legislature's website at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Keep in mind that the first day of the 82nd Legislative Session is Tuesday, January 11th. If you would like to make plans to attend, please contact our office for details. For the first day of session, we set aside a block of hotel rooms and have breakfast in our Capitol office prior to swearing in. We would love to have you at the Capitol to celebrate the day.
Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in the Texas Legislature. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.
Sincerely,
Patricia Harless
State Representative
District 126
512.463.0496 (Capitol office)
281.376.4114 (District office)

I am assuming that since this is a public letter from a Representative that I can post it here on the forum. If not, please let me know.

[bigred90gt]

I was looking through some of the proposed legislation, and this came up:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Search/D ... ightType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didnt see anything about parking lots though.

[RPB]

I was looking through some of the proposed legislation, and this came up:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Search/D ... ightType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didnt see anything about parking lots though.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Search/D ... ightType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
SECTION 5. Section 46.11(c)(1), Penal Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(1) "Premises" has the meaning [<strikeout font>"Institution of higher
education" and "premises" have the meanings,</strikeout font>] assigned by Section
481.134, Health and Safety Code.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... HS.481.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Health and Safety Code
Sec. 481.134. DRUG-FREE ZONES. (a) In this section:
4) "Premises" means real property and all buildings and appurtenances pertaining to the real property.

[Purplehood]

I was looking through some of the proposed legislation, and this came up:

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Search/D ... ightType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I didnt see anything about parking lots though.

http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/Search/D ... ightType=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
SECTION 5. Section 46.11(c)(1), Penal Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(1) "Premises" has the meaning [<strikeout font>"Institution of higher
education" and "premises" have the meanings,</strikeout font>] assigned by Section
481.134, Health and Safety Code.

http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/D ... HS.481.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sec. 481.134. DRUG-FREE ZONES. (a) In this section:
4) "Premises" means real property and all buildings and appurtenances pertaining to the real property.

I think he meant Employer Parking Lot Bill...

[RPB]

Ahhhhh ok, ............. nevermind.

[bigred90gt]

Correct, I was referring to employer parking lots.

[jsimmons]

So in other words, her answer wasn't actually a response to your email.

Politicians - regardless of party affiliation - are all the same. Why can't they just say somethig along the lines of "We're concentrating on stuff that *we* care about, and constituent concerns aren't a priority, and never will be, and o h yeah - good luck getting that gun stuff passed. LOL OMFG"

[formerstaffer]

Coming from someone with experience working on legislative staff here is a bit of my mini-guide to dealing with your Representative:

You (the legislative staffer) always answer a letter without a direct answer to the status of something so a constituent can't later call you a liar and get you in trouble with your boss. If you try and be honest, tell them the process, explain what is going on, etc... many constituents will turn whatever you give them around and try to screw you. Sad fact, I got bit a couple times and it put my job at risk so I wrote some very carefully worded form letters, ran them past my boss, and used those whenever someone e-mailed on an issue.

Also, they get 100s of emails a day and most of the time the big boss doesn't read them. Our office read every one and we provided our boss a summary of what was going on and provided a generic response to the constituent. If we knew where the boss stood, we told you. If we didn't, or the boss didn't agree with you, you got a form letter like you got. However, her office could be swamped right now and is just sending out form letters to everything covering their own rear so their boss doesn't get his ear chewed off by some constituent that slips through the carefully laid filter about how he/she never responded. It taking more than a few hours to respond is normally a sign that a good office is swamped and unable to get back to you.

Also, your best bet is to e-mail a staffer and not the representative directly. Establish a relationship with a staffer and get their e-mail, or use the directory at http://www.texastribune.org/directory/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to find a Legislative Assistant/Aide/Director or Chief of Staff.

I answered most e-mails as fast as I could type a response. Legislative staff bust their rear (out of session I averaged 60 hours a week, in session it could be 100+) and get paid very very little to do so (You can look up any state employee's salary at http://www.texastribune.org/library/dat ... -salaries/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;). As terrible as this sounds, forgive them if providing you an up to date position on a bill isn't their priority when they are monitoring legislation, lobbyist and constituents trying to slip pass their desk to bother their boss, organizing the calendar for the office, talking to state agencies to try and help people with serious problems, and barely have time to take a bite of the lunch that has been on their desk since noon and it's nearly 6 at night.... Give them time, or give them a call, and you will get a much more thorough answer.

Friendliness is key. Political staff are vain, and wield a lot of power, so show them that you know they are important and you will get rewarded. Want insider information? Call up and be lucky enough to get an intern on the phone and sweet talk them. Unless you know the boss personally (and I mean more than meeting them at a townhall) don't expect to talk to them. Staff does all the grunt work (which constituent work is), the boss busts his or her rear on everything else. High maintenance, or rude, constituents always went on the bottom of my stack. I dreaded having to call someone I knew was going to yell at me and be unreasonable.

Also, use http://www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; to find who your representative is. There were several reps in my boss's district and I hated having to deal with someone who we didn't even represent (unless they were nice, in which case I would still go out of my way to help them). Staffers can work miracles. I got a guy from getting the answer "you have to re-take the CHL class (and the 10 hour, not the 5 hour refresher), reapply, and we won't refund your original fee" to "Your license is in the mail" in a few days without every speaking to my boss about it.

Your letter was well worded, but if you can't call always personalize an e-mail. If I thought they sent me a form letter, or I got more than one of the same letter, they got a form response.

That said, Concealed Carry on Campus will pass. It's free and provides conservatives with browny points with their constituents. Look for it to have 130 co-sponsors and pending it getting killed by some new Democratic technique or a point of order by some clown it passing this session. Same with anything else that doesn't cost money and conservatives like (hence all the illegal immigration legislation). However, since it was pre-filed it means it will be more closely scrutinized and some liberal gun hater has a better chance to find a point of order on it.

Also, don't bother asking me who I worked for or on what side of the aisle. I'm sworn to secrecy and I'd screw myself if anyone ever found out I gave insider information.

[Skiprr]

Coming from someone with experience working on legislative staff here is a bit of my mini-guide to dealing with your Representative

Welcome.

And thank you!

[Purplehood]

wowsers.

[A-R]

I vote that formerstaffer's post become a sticky in the "political issues" section as well as the current Texas legislature section.

Can I get a co-sponsor and schedule this motion for a quick vote of the mods?

[Excaliber]

I vote that formerstaffer's post become a sticky in the "political issues" section as well as the current Texas legislature section.

Can I get a co-sponsor and schedule this motion for a quick vote of the mods?

This information has significant and enduring value and is unlikely to change significantly over time.

I agree it should become a "sticky."

[UpTheIrons]

I vote that formerstaffer's post become a sticky in the "political issues" section as well as the current Texas legislature section.

Can I get a co-sponsor and schedule this motion for a quick vote of the mods?

This information has significant and enduring value and is unlikely to change significantly over time.

I agree it should become a "sticky."

Point of Order, Mr. Chairman.

Excalibur did not second the motion and went straight to discussion.

I second austinrealtor's motion that a sticky be made of formerstaffer's post.

[Hoi Polloi]

As his or her post is of general benefit to forum members, and as s/he provides a service and perspective which is public knowledge but not commonly known, and as this information allows us to more effectively, charitably, and beneficially work with our legislators, I would like to add an amendment that allows FormerStaffer to add future information to said sticky which explains how the legislative process works including, but not limited to, from a social, political, or administrative standpoint in order to encourage and improve those aims mentioned herein.