This page is designed to give you information on current legislative issues in the Texas Legislature. Here you will find links to the House and Senate Websites, current bills connected to transportation, labor, workers and their families. Suggestions for content are always welcome and encouraged.

Legislative Representatives Attend 13th Quadrennial Convention

Austin, Texas April 5-6, 2011

Legislative Representatives in Washington DC

May 25-28, 2010

Texas Legislative Representatives attended training and lobbied members of Congress on FMLA and the Hours of Service portion of the Rail Safety Improvement Act. Also in attendance was Texas State Chairman Terry Briggs (not pictured).

From left: R. C. "Buck" Montes, UP Division 910 Beaumont, Scott Piekarski, UP Division 187 Fort Worth, Ben Strot, BNSF Division 206 Temple, James Grigsby, UP Division 197 San Antonio, and James Fagan, BNSF Division 279 Houston.

December 8-11, 2009

Texas Legislative Representatives attended training and lobbied members of Congress on matters relating to

railroad safety.

From left: Doug Stokes, UP Division 242, Ennis; Jerry Bullard, UP Division 212, Big Spring; Ben Wright, BNSF Division 189, Saginaw; Tim Ferguson, BNSF Division 776, Galveston.

New Legislative Representative Workshop

April 6-9, 2010

Presentations & Information

PAC

Attitude

Leadership

Legislative

FRA's Role in Rail Safety

FRA Interpretation - Supervisors in Exam Room

Whistleblower Protection for Railroad Employees

Pictures from the Workshop held at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center

Video of House Transportation Committee testimony by Representative Marc Veasey and Terry Briggs

on HB 645 TSLB Limo Safety Bill

Rep. Veasey begins at clip position 1:10, and Terry Briggs immediately following at clip position 1:15. Connie English State Legislative Director for the UTU follows Terry Briggs.

Video Clip

Brothers and Sisters,

I am pleased to announce that the carry-all safety bill, filed at our request by Senator John Carona, passed out of the Texas Senate Transportation and Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday, February 25^th, 2009.

The bill, SB481, was voted out on a vote of 8 for, 0 against with one Senator absent.

Additionally, the bill was recommended to go to the Senate Local and Uncontested Calendar, which is reserved for uncontroversial bills having no opposition. This recommendation is not finalized until the Senate Committee on Administration gives its OK. If the bill does appear on the L&U calendar, which is expected early in March, its passage on the Senate side of the legislature is virtually assured.

Representative Marc Veasey filed an identical version of the legislation, HB645 in the House. You may recall that he also filed the bill, on our behalf, last session.

Every bill must pass both the Senate and House chambers before they can be signed into law. Since the Senate version is moving ahead of the House version, Representative Veasey will wait for SB481 to pass the Senate and then sponsor that bill in the House.

The bill will require the Department of Public Safety to adopt some additional regulations for carry-all companies, which are called contract carriers. The new regulations will require the contract carriers to set up a drug and alcohol testing program, including random testing, for the drivers. It will also mandate a minimum of 1.5 million dollars in liability insurance on each vehicle used by the contract carriers. The bill also requires the Department of Public Safety, and the railroad companies, to notify the contract carriers as to what regulations apply to their business.

Contract carriers are current governed by hours of service limits for the drivers, certain driver qualifications, and vehicle maintenance standards.

A copy of SB481 and the BLET talking points here.

The committee hearing can be seen at the following link. Once there, click on February 25 Senate Committee on Transportation button. The proceedings for SB481 begin at about the 18 minute mark.

 http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/?yr=2009

 If you would like send a thank you note, here is a list of the members of the Committee.

Power Point Presentations

Locomotive Cab Sanitation

The Looming Transportation Crisis

Political Messaging and Organizing

Talking to Union Members About Politics

Political Action Committee

Power Point Presentation

Sample letter to members (MS Word)

TXPAC Sign-up Form (PDF Format)

Forms

Lost Wages Voucher (PDF Format)

Expense Statement (PDF Format)

Texas Delegates Attend Legislative Representative Training in Washington, DC

From left: Larry Schneider, Division 192, El Paso; Bill Baker, Division 530 Fort Worth;

Richard Myers, Division 264, El Paso; Becky Schneider, National President of the BLETA

What are my Responsibilities as a Legislative Representative?

The Legislative Process in Texas

A Legislative Glossary

Links

BLE-T National Legislative Representative Page

Texas House of Representatives

Texas Senate

Texas Legislature Online

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

BLE-T Legislative Office

Federal Document Management System

Texas Legislative News

Representative Yvonne Davis' Personal Privilege in the Texas House of Representatives. VIDEO  (Cue the video to 1:34:00)

Yvonne Davis delivers a personal reveling speech on May 4^th in which she blasts what she termed “the current regime” for not placing democratic, or union, bills on the house calendar. In her remarks, Representative Davis scolds republicans, and some democrats, for going along with the leadership’s partisan way of doing business. Following her speech, several representatives voluntarily postpone their bill to another day which ensured that another calendar would be set early in the following week.

Point Of Order called on Texas Republican House Speaker VIDEO (Cue the video to 8:49:00 )

Short of being removed in the middle of the session, May 7th was as bad as it could get for Tom Craddick as speaker. After rumblings all session, beginning with the attempt to depose him in January, the House finally erupted. By a convincing margin, representatives voted to overturn a ruling by Speaker Tom Craddick. The entire revolt started when Craddick ally Rep. Ryan Guillen (D-Rio Grande City) laid out what seemed to be a local bill on the Major State Calendar.