posted by Brenda Johnson
SB 362, the Voter ID bill passed the state Senate Friday after protracted debate, and a lot of testimony. It's obviously going to be a slugfest in the House with 74 Democrats and 76 Republicans. However, two returning Republicans voted against the measure last year: Tommy Merritt, R-Longview and Delwin Jones, R-Lubbock. Bexar County figures prominently as Speaker of the House Joe Straus voted for the bill last year and said in January he thinks another examination of the photo id issue to combat voter fraud is appropriate. He has also said he doesn't know whether there are sufficient votes in the House to pass it. Representative Trey Martinez Fischer will lead the House Democrat delegation.
Jason and I witnessed the Democrats, led by Senator Leticia Van De Putte, outlining their opposition to the measure. First Senator West challenged the hearing on procedural rules apparently centering on Notice of Hearing. Aided by the parliamentarian, the Lt. Gov eventually brushed off the lengthy challenges. then Senator Van De Putte, occasionally aided by Senator Ellis, recalled the March 3rd Democratic delegation memo to the committee citing: (1)more important issues facing the state legislature such as children's health funding, tuition costs, full funding of schools and a host of others I didn't catch; (2) artifical elevation of this issue; (3) insufficient time to prepare for this issue; (4) lack of legal representation or advice on an issue so central to voters' rights. Indeed, much was made about the conspicuous absence of the state Attorney General who used 1.4 million in taxpayers dollars to conduct a failed investigation in voter fraud.
Call to Action March 21
Organizing for America Pledge Canvass“A budget is more than simply numbers on a page. It is a measure of how well we are living up to our obligations to ourselves and one another. It is a test for our commitment to making America what it was always meant to be -- a place where all things are possible for all people. ” - President Barack Obama
Organizing for America has asked alamObama to join a national campaign to mobilize volunteers across the country in a dramatic show of support for President Obama's agenda. On Saturday, March 21, volunteers in every state will hit the streets to get Americans to sign a pledge in support of the approach the President is taking to rebuilding and renewing our country. Here’s what alamObama would like you to do:
(1) Sign up for the pledge at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pledgeproject ;
(2) Forward this forward to family, friends, and neighbors and urge them to sign up;
(3) Perform a canvas at your church, school, or other location with traffic. If you’re ambitious and would like to take on a site, Angie Drake has some suggestions. Contact her at ajrdrake@gmail.com. This is a perfect exercise for precinct/community organizers who already have their area organized. Organizing for America has everything you need from sign up lists to data sheets at http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/pledgeprojectcanvassguide/.
(4) Make sure you list the event at my.barackobama.com
Legislation Watch
State Senate
SB 362 passed as expected. Meanwhile there is discussion about a sunshine review on the DMV suggesting stricter measures in getting driver’s licenses. Representative McClendon is announcing HB 1278 tomorrow which proposes improvements needed to streamline driver and photo ID procedures at DPS offices. Senator Zaffirini has proposed an identical measure in the Senate.
Background and Purpose of HB 1278 (81R-McClendon)
The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission's review has indicated deficiencies in the administrative operations of the Texas Public Safety Commission driver license bureau, and has made the recommendation that the driver license functions administered by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) be conducted as a business model, rather than entangling the driver license procedures with law enforcement procedures. An independent study prepared in 2008 by Deloitte Consulting LLP reached the same conclusion. According to the Sunset evaluation reports, DPS presently has only 1,600 FTE's who administer 256 driver license offices, and of those only 220 are peace officers. These employees are charged with the responsibility of managing over 16,000,000 drivers and handling over 6,000,000 driver license transactions annually. Presently, Sec. 521.142 of the Transportation Code states that an applicant must state whether they are or are not a citizen; however, the law does not require an applicant to establish proof of citizenship in order to obtain a driver license. All drivers in Texas should be required to establish who they are and where they currently reside, in addition to meeting the skill, vision, fee and financial responsibility requirements for obtaining a driver license.
By amending Section 521.142(a) and Section 521.1421 of the Transportation Code, House Bill 1278 would address the Sunset Advisory Commission's recommendations by requiring the DPS driver license division to establish the identity and current residence of the applicant seeking a driver license or a photo identification card. The Bill enumerates three types of documentation that will satisfy these two requirements, in order to establish identity and current residence: primary documentation, secondary documentation, or supporting documentation. Primary documentation is that type which establishes both identity and current residence. Secondary documentation establishes either identity or current residence, but not both in the same document. Supporting documentation is similar to secondary documentation, but the reliability of secondary documentation is stronger than that of the supporting documentation items.
It would be in keeping with the Sunset report recommendations to manage driver license administration independently of the law enforcement function. Therefore, this Bill would modify the Transportation Code in regard to provisions concerning DPS rule-making and administration of the driver license functions of the agency. This approach is also in keeping with the Sunset recommendations by disengaging the driver license administration from using driver license and photo identification card applications as a law enforcement tool or as an immigration law and policy enforcement device. DPS personnel have no statutory authorization to interpret and apply federal immigration laws and regulations in order to assume this federal function as part of the state agency's responsibilities. This change in the law would also further the interest of all Texas drivers and their passengers, by requiring that all persons who drive on Texas roadways be duly licensed and made responsible for obtaining liability coverage. However, as presently applied, agency rules have established administrative procedures which exclude certain drivers from obtaining a license and accordingly not including them among those drivers who must provide proof of liability insurance or financial responsibility.
CSHB 1278 differs from HB 1278, in that an offender identification card issued by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) was listed in HB1278 under supporting documentation to obtain a driver license or a photo identification card. CSHB 1278 would place the offender identification card issued by TDCJ in the secondary documentation category, rather than under the supporting documentation category. This is because it contains the person's full name, photo, and date of birth and is issued by a Texas agency.
Here’s a roundup of legislative action:
http://www.mt-vernon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=904&Itemid=40
Candidates/Campaigns
(Disclaimer: The following is meant as a recognition of community activism and in no way constitutes an endorsement by alamObama)
“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Barack Obama
Several alamObama members have taken this to heart and are either running for office or are working on campaigns to bring change to San Antonio . We know of quite a few and want to recognize all who have taken on the challenge.
Fred Tawill, Yvonne Armstrong, James Turner, Tony Mandujano, Helen Dawson and Betty Moore are all working for the Julian Castro for Mayor campaign. http://www.castroformayor.com/
Rubén Cuero, candidate for SAISD School Board, District 1, http://www.rubencuero.org/
Celina Peña, working for Michael Soto for SAISD School Board, District 7
Doug Bineham, Joe Ibarra, Joel Mayer, Jonas Perkins, Amir Samandi, Wayne Thomas, and 600 others are trying to draft Senator Leticia Van de Putte for Governor of Texas in 2010.
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