How To: Influence State Law

Janice Cookston
WeTexans.com Archives
originally https:/?s=we+texans+archives
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Introducing the second publication in our How-To Guide series:

We Texans How To Guide: Influence State Law

Ladies and Gents of the great state of Texas: We are off to the races! The 83rd legislative session has begun. Now, if you, like countless other liberty-minded Texans, were sorely disappointed in the “results” we got from our state house the last time our elected representatives gathered in Austin, then the questions is: What are you going to do differently this time to insure a different outcome?

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” – Albert Einstein

Something is clearly missing from the formula in our state house. In the 82nd Session, we possessed what appeared to be the perfect formula for conservative policy:

Republican super majority + Republican Statewide Elected Officials + Proposed Conservative Legislation

Yet somehow that equation equaled dismal failure on the liberty front. (See: Is This What Success Looks Like? formerly http://wetexans.com/is-this-what-success-looks-like/)

cat·a·lyst [kat-l-ist]

something that causes activity between two or more persons or forces without itself being affected.
a person or thing that precipitates an event or change
a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more friendly, enthusiastic, or energetic.

We would argue that the missing variable in the equation is citizens, liberty-lovin, hard-workin’ Texans, pounding the halls of the Capitol along side the slick-suited lobbyists serving as catalysts for change in our state government.

The first step to being an effective catalyst is to be educated on the Texas legislative process. To that end, We Texans along with Texans for Accountable Government held a full day training session formerly http://wetexans.com/catalyst730 in December to equip everyday Texans with the tools needed to influence state law. If you were not one of the over 100 who joined us that day in Austin, all hope is not lost. We have compiled all the training resources from that event here for you to study, share and reference.

For an excellent foundational read, the most studious among you will want to start by reading the The Law by Frederic Bastiat.

Then for a crash course in how a bill becomes law, download the PowerPoint presentation: The Legislative Process by formerly/http://www.texas101consulting.com/and the companion hand-out Texas Legislative Guide.

Now with a grasp on how a bill becomes law, learn how you can be a part of that process by downloading:

Getting Involved: Testifying– Tom “Smitty” Smith, Public Citizen

Getting Involved: Dialoguing– Linda Curtis, Independent Texans

How To Guide: Influence State Law –We T exans

If you are reading this blog right now, you have all the skills necessary (the ability to read and the access to the internet) to begin getting involved. But just in case you’re simply itching for more knowledge and information at your mouse-clicking finger tips, we’ve compiled the following helpful links and downloads for you: