Thread: TX: Lawmaker camps out for early action on immigration

Lawmaker camps out for early action on immigration

State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, camped outside the Texas House chamber for two days to position herself for a prime bill number on Voter ID and immigration-related legislation and was delighted with the outcome.

She filed HB 17, which is similar to Arizona's crack down on illegal immigration. The Arizona law, however, is tied up in federal courts.

"My constituents want to see that their representative is just as serious about getting the job done this session as they are," Riddle said. "They've got a real fire in their bellies, and I'm here to show them that I'm ready to match that tenacity."

Riddle set up some folding chairs and pitched a make-shift campsite outside the floor of the Texas House of Representatives beginning on Saturday afternoon to make sure she was the first in line when the chief clerk's office opened for early filing this morning. She spent both Saturday and Sunday night sleeping on the lobby floor.

"A visitor that walked by told me that I reminded them of the kids that camp out for Duke basketball tickets in Durham, North Carolina," Riddle said. "It was eye-opening to realize that people think it's normal to be passionate about something like college basketball, but odd to be passionate about your state's politics."

Although the immigration legislation has generated the most buzz this year, Riddle deliberately filed her Voter ID bill before any of her others, making it the very first bill filed for the new session: HB 16. The bill requires one form of photo ID or two forms of non-photo ID in order to vote in Texas.

"Voter ID has got to be one of the top priorities of the legislature this session." Riddle said. "It passed in the House two session ago and was stalled by politics in the Senate. It passed in the Senate last year and then was stalled by politics in the House. There are no more excuses left this time around."

Bill numbers 16 and 17 were the first available because the budget bill is designated as House and Senate Bill 1, and the lieutenant governor and House speaker typically hold back other numbers for their key legislation. A low number denotes a bill's importance.


http://blogs.chron.com/texaspolitics/ar ... camps.html

I sooo voted for this lady! You go girl!!

Now if she could just figure out a way to clean up her own
home town.

Def

We have been expecting this because Texas has been on the ALIPAC tracking list for sometime now...

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-196627.html

I can live with good news like this!

I also believe that voting is high priority and warrants to securing it to high levels

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/article-5824--0-0.html

Related:

TX-GOP Lawmakers File Anti-Illegal Immigration Bills
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-217706.html

Texas Considers Arizona-Style Immigration Law
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-217696.html

Texas GOP lawmakers to crackdown on illegal immigration
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-217654.html

15 Bills Focus on the Border - Texas
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-217642.html

TX: Immigration, Voter ID bills filed in first day in Austin
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-217613.html