SD-14 SREC Report from June 3-4th State Meetings - Patterson running for Lt. Gov, TSA "no grope" resolution passed

This weekend's SREC meetings in Austin concluded today after 5 PM.  Here are some notes I made.

Chairman Steve Munisteri announced the party finances being in good shape and a professional audit (by Atchley & Associates) of Texas GOP finances for 2010 being completed; that report was reviewed by SREC members at the meeting.  The Chairman noted the Party has all prior debts paid with about $811 thousand in the bank after his term started a year ago with the Party deeply in debt.  The Party also spent about $25 thousand on the Dan Neil (HD-48) recount and election challenge.  In addition the new 8.25 grassroots club was up to 538 members (these GOP members are contributing $8.25 a month to the state GOP). 

The State GOP is also conducting campaign training for candidates and campaign managers, and enrollment so far is about triple what the Party anticipated.

Near the lunch hour a panel of three state reps (Todd Hunter, Dan Flynn, Jim Keffer) discussed the State budget which was recently passed and warned of false attacks coming against Republicans from the numerous political factions which profit from the current inefficient government school monopoly - at least, that was my take on it.  The panel also stayed for an informative Q&A session; they also confirmed the expectation that the special session would successfully pass a Congressional redistricting map and estimated the session would conclude in late June.

State Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson gave a rousing speech and announced his intention to run for Lt. Governor in 2014.  Texas Senate candidate Ted Cruz also addressed the SREC.

HD-7 State Representative David Simpson also briefly spoke in the afternoon, urging the SREC to pass a resolution backing HB-1937 (now HB-41 in special session), which is the bill prohibiting TSA from invasive "groping" searches without probable cause.  The resolution later passed easily without debate (the resolution is attached below).

Don Zimmerman
SD-14 SREC Committeeman
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RESOLUTION  on TSA “enhanced pat-down” Opposition, supporting HB-1937 in Special Session

Whereas 82R HB 1937 (now known as HB 41 in the current special session) safeguards basic rights defined under the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution for persons traveling in Texas;

Whereas “enhanced pat-downs” by the Transportation Safety Administration are administrative policies established by federal bureaucracy and not statutory law enacted by federal government and therefore cannot hold supremacy over the U.S. Constitution or the Texas State Constitution;

Whereas it is unlawful for properly trained law enforcement officers to perform “enhanced pat-downs” as performed by the Transportation Safety Administration;

Whereas HB 1937 received a unanimous recommendation from the House Criminal Jurisprudence committee;

Whereas HB 1937 was unanimously passed by the Texas House of Representatives;

Whereas HB 1937 received a unanimous recommendation from the Texas Senate Transportation and Homeland Security committee;

Whereas HB 1937 had oral expressions of support from 30 of 31 Texas State Senators prior to being scheduled for hearing on the Senate floor;

Whereas Senate passage of HB 1937 was halted at the eleventh hour after the U.S. Department of Justice delivered a factually inaccurate letter concerning the effect of HB 1937 and that threatened an immediate injunction which included “canceling a flight or series of flights”

Whereas this level of intimidation establishes grounds for a constitutional crisis;

Whereas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst has now recommended HB 1937 for the current special session of the State Legislature;

Be It Resolved that the State Republican Executive Committee urges Governor Rick Perry to call 82R HB 1937--now filed as HB 41--as emergency legislation so that it may be considered by the Texas Legislature in special session.