SB730 - Employer parking lot bill filed

[DrBart2]

"1. Even if there was not an "AND" with additional requirements it would not automatically mean you cannot park your car there with a gun in it. It would mean the empoyer COULD prohibit it by policy".

My wife's employer does have a policy that prohibits having a gun, stun gun, taser, or knife in your car. The company leases a section of a parking garage in downtown Fort Worth where the employee uses a pass card to open a gate to access that part of the garage. It wouldn't surprise me to see the employer start searching cars when this legislation is passed. The employees don't have to park in the garage. They can park in any public parking lot downtown. Of course it will cost the employee at least 100.00 a month to do so. It wouldn't surprise me to see this company try to test this law. My wife will be OK, she is not breaking any company rules, but I sure wish they would allow her to a least carry a taser. An after hour walk between the work place and garage has some perfect spots for predators to lurk.

 

[Charles L. Cotton]

Urgent: Action needed

HB1301 - Employer parking lots.

The House version of the employer parking lot bill (HB1301) is up for a public hearing today (3/23/09) in the House Public Safety Committee. This committee has nine members and Representatives Caraway (C), Rodriquez (D) and Burnam (F) are guaranteed "no" votes. Vice-Chairman Frost (A+) is a co-author on HB1301 as is Rep. Joe Driver (A+), so they obviously will support the bill. Rep. Phil King (A+) should be a "yes" vote and I suspect Chairman Merritt (A) will support us.

This means Representatives Hubert Vo (A-) and freshman Tryon Lewis (C+) could well be swing votes. Please contact these members of the committee and very politely ask them to support HB1301. You might remind them that HB1301 has 37 joint authors and co-authors. Get their fax numbers and follow up your call with a fax. (I don't have fax numbers.) Here are the "talking points" on HB1301"

• SB 730/HB1301 do not prevent an employer from keeping guns out of the workplace; it only applies to locked cars in the parking lot;
  
  SB 730/HB1301 provide employers immunity from civil liability for any injury or damage that may result from storage of firearms in locked vehicles, unless the employer is grossly negligent.
  
  SB 730/HB1301 allow employers to prohibit firearms in a parking area, if the parking lot is not accessible to the general public and the employer provides alternative parking for employees. Or the employer can opt to provide a place to lock up an unloaded firearm. This provision is especially useful to the petrochemical industry and any other business needing to protect sensitive areas.
  
  SB 730/HB1301 would not apply to company-owned vehicles, nor would it allow storage of firearms in vehicles parked on property where the possession of firearms is prohibited under state or federal law.

HB410 - Repeal of duty to show CHL.

A public hearing on this bill was held on March 9th, but Chairman Merritt (A) has not brought this bill up for a vote. Other bills have been brought up for a vote. Please contact his office and politely ask him to bring this bill up for a vote. It has 30 joint and co-authors and 300,000+ CHLs deserve to have a vote on this bill.

Please respond to this call to action folks; don't just assume others will do so. Our strength is in numbers and we need a response. DO NOT REFERENCE TSRA OR NRA!

Thanks,
Chas.

 

[thorkyl]

HB 1301 Whitness impact statements

Well that was fun...
We arrived before 2pm as we where told they would start at 2.
They started a little after 3

By the time they got to HB 1301 it was after 720 pm.

Rep. Frost gave a real nice 10 minute speech on what the bill does and then we started.

The first guy was against, a facilities manager.
He had lots of papers showing the dangers from a study by a known anti-firearm group, the name Brady was used in his comments about the papers.

The we had a school teacher come up from the Valley (7hr drive) and he did a wonderful job explaining his reason for supporting the bill (he was thanked extra for making the long drive by the Committee).

Then we had another anti, Texas Association of Business Owners (i canceled my membership this morning). One of the Committee members ask the best questions I heard all day.

went something like this

So, your telling me all of the companies that you represent that have a no weapons policy, there is not a single firearm in their parking lot.

The pro side of the room almost wet themselves trying not to laugh.
From then on this guy was on the defense and could not keep on tract.

Then my turn...

Had the need to go barf feeling the whole time I was there. I am not a public speaker.

Did my speech, then came the 20 questions, actually only 2.

(based on my testimony)
Rep. 1 asked...
So you where unable to travel here with your firearm due to company policy? Yes was my answer, you could see that my response upset him.

Rep. 2 asked...
Do you ever get to the Dallas area?
Yes a few times a year was my answer
He stated that if I need a place to park, I could park at his office.

I hung around and listened to another anti and the gal from the NRA (she is a looker).
After that I realized it was after 8pm and I had better scoot.

It was fun, nerve wracking, and interesting at the same time, kind of like the first time I ever fired a firearm.

 

[Texas1911]

Cool deal guys, it passed 31-0.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Yeah - now to get it to pass the HOUSE!

 

[DCortez]

Was part of a group that met with State Senator Dan Patrick today in Austin. Was nice to thank him, in person, for all of his hard work and for his support on this bill.

We need more people like Dan representing us.

 

[Jazkal]

Anyone know where it is in the house?

 

[rayj8524]

parking lot bill

Anyone know where it is in the house?

SB 730 is scheduled for public hearing on April 27, 2009.

http://www.legis.state.tx.us/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=81R&Bill=SB730

 

[thorkyl]

They added an exception to schools
Schools will be able to fire teachers for having firearms locked in the car.

So now they have to basically start the process over.

 

[DrBart2]

They added an exception to schools
Schools will be able to fire teachers for having firearms locked in the car.

So now they have to basically start the process over.

figures

 

[Dog]

updates on this yet?
Thanks to all.

 

[Wedge]

Thanks for the update look forward to future news on this. Old post but good info.

 

[thorkyl]

Here is the status
Texas Legislature Online - 81(R) Bill Stages for SB 730

Here is the Bill
Texas Legislature Online - 81(R) History for SB 730

 

[thorkyl]

From the email from Alice with TSRA

Please Use the Links below to Contact the House Calendar Committee members, all of them, and urge the committee to set SB 730 on the House Calendar immediately! Then Contact your own State Representative and urge their vote and support FOR SB 730.

We need your help. The Clock is running on personal safety for working Texans and the Time to act is NOW!

House Calendars
Chairman McCall (R-Plano)
Vice Chair Lucio (D-Brownsville)
Rep. Chavez (D-El Paso)
Rep. Coleman (D-Houston)
Rep. Cook (R-Corsicana)
Rep. Creighton (R-Conroe)
Rep. Geren (R-Ft.Wt.)
Rep. Keffer (R-Eastland)
Rep. Kolkhorst (R-Brenham)
Rep. McReynolds (D-Lufkin)
Rep. Ritter (D-Nederland)
Rep. Solomons (R-Carrollton)
Note: Rep. Kuempel (R-Seguin), a friend to gun owners and a member of the committee, is ill and hospitalized. Do not contact his office at this time.

Here is what I just sent them all...
I a writing to urge you to set SB 730 on the House Calendar immediately. This bill is critical to the safety and security to the citizens of Texas.

Thank You;
My Real Name Here

 

[Charles L. Cotton]

Urgent Action Item

There is good reason to believe that Representative Brian McCall, Chairman of the House Calendars Committee, has tagged SB730 (employer parking lot bill) and will not let it out of Calendars Committee. In the alternative, he can let out of the committee so late that SB730 will have no chance of getting to the House Floor before time runs out. This is precisely what the Calendars Committee did to our parking lot bill last session.

We need to flood Chairman McCall's office with calls and faxes and tell him we want SB730 to be set on the House General Calendar now! It's fine to let him know that you understand that letting it out too late to be heard is just another way of killing the bill.

Chas.

Chairman Brian McCall (512) 463-0594

 

[DCortez]

Chairman Brian McCall (512) 463-0594

I'll call him tomorrow morning.


Here's his fax number

512-463-5896

 

[thorkyl]

I'll call him tomorrow morning.


Here's his fax number

512-463-5896

Hope his fax machine is full of paper...
I just got authorization from 148 people to send a fax for each of them

Does anybody else want one sent on their behalf? (i have a fax spammer program...) send me a PM and I will
You name and address is all I need, I will delete the info and not retain it at all.

Here is the letter;

Mr McCall;

It has come to my attention that you are sitting on HB 730 and refusing to allow it to be placed on the calendar. The decision whether to allow this bill to become law is up to the the citizens of Texas and not up to you. As a voting citizen I am demanding that this bill be placed on the calendar and not in your desk drawer like was done last year.


Respectfully

Your Name
Your Address

 

[JKTex]

I'm sure Chas is making the rounds but the quicker the better on this.

He's posted this on another forum so I hope he doesn't mind me copying it here.

>>><<<
We need everyone to call Rep. Brian McCall, Chairman of the House Calendars Committee and politely but strongly tell him that you want both SB730 (employer parking lots) and SB1164 (campus carry) set on the House MAJOR Calendar, not the General Calendar.

Tell him you are aware that:
1. SB730 - parking lots has been in the calendars committee for two weeks and a day;
2. You have watched other bills going into Calendars then being set to the Floor within 2 to 3 days;
3. That the Calendars Committee pulled the same stunt with the employer's parking lot bill last session;
4. That you know putting a bill on the House General Calendar is a move designed to kill the bill.

Then call House Speaker Joe Straus and tell him that you are very disappointed that important NRA and TSRA bills (campus and parking lots) are clearly being stalled by the Republican leadership for the second session in a row.

Both of these men need to hear from a whole bunch of people. As always, be polite but firm.

Chas.
>>><<<

He also posted the NRA alert

>>><<<
URGENT: HELP NEEDED FROM TEXAS NRA MEMBERS ON SENATE BILL 730!

The Texas Legislature is entering its last 10 days of session, and the Texas House has not voted on one single significant pro-Second Amendment issue the entire session. That means that NRA's top legislative priority – Senate Bill 730, a bill that would allow employees to lawfully store firearms in their locked motor vehicles while parked at work -- may die this session. Not because SB 730 doesn't have the votes, but because the House won't be given a chance to vote on it.

This bill passed the Senate unanimously back on March 25! It enjoys strong, bi-partisan support among House members. But the House Calendars Committee has thus-far refused to set SB 730 for a vote by the full House. Powerful business and industry lobbyists are pulling out all the stops to keep this bill bottled up in Calendars, because they know it has a good shot at passing if it gets to the House floor. In 2007, the House Calendars Committee pulled the same trick - and finally scheduled that session's employee/parking lot bill so late and so far down on the House Calendar that it had no hope of coming up for a vote before the consideration deadline. < STRONG>Unless you take the following actions, the same thing may happen to SB 730 in the 2009 session:

* Contact House Calendars Committee Chairman Brian McCall's (R-66) office TODAY at (512) 463-0758 and urge him to set SB 730 on the Major State Calendar so that the bill has a chance to be voted on by the full House before its too late. Major State Calendar bills are the first to be considered each legislative day, and it's the only way to guarantee that SB 730 actually has a shot at a vote before the consideration deadline.

* Contact Speaker Joe Straus' (R-121) office TODAY at (512) 463-1000 and urge him to do everything he can to ensure that SB 730 is placed on the Major State Calendar and voted on by the full House before next week's deadline.
>>><<<

Y'all know what to do.

Oh, and if you're in Collin County, remember McCall next election.

 

[Charles L. Cotton]

Thanks for the help TKTex.

Chas.

 

[Texas1911]

I'm enraged that we allow a single person to prohibit the will of the people from being heard. I've tried and tried to call McCall and his answering machine is full. I believe this is a stall tactic.

I'm very tempted to skip work tomorrow and show up on his desk.