As anticipated, Speaker Joe Straus'  lieutenants are trying to redistrict several Conservative representatives out of their jobs as payback for supporting a Conservative for Speaker.  We cannot let this happen.

Learn the details below and then contact your representative TODAY!  (Emails and phone numbers provided below.)  Please copy us ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) on any letters you email to your Rep so that we can keep a record.  Too often they try and claim they haven't heard from us. If you copy us, there's an irrefutable record.

They vote on Wednesday, April 27th! Act now!

ALL HANDS ON DECK! Calling all CLTP Watch Dogs! If you have been trained as a CLTP Watch Dog, we need your reports.  We are in the final third of the legislative session.  The committees are working furiously through the draft legislation.  This is the time that all Watchdogs need to charge the fence and bark at our legislators (they can feel our bite later).  Several of our junkyard dogs have been diligently reviewing the Texas Legislature Online and have been sending in their reports.

CLTP Watchdogs are focused on the following issues:

Budget
Immigration
Healthcare
Education
9th and 10th Amendments
Taxes
Texas Debt Ceiling
Voter ID

However, we have had no Watchdog reports on the following issues:

Gun legislation (2nd Amendment) [Campus Carry, etc.]
Gambling [There were 22 gambling bills filed – what’s going on?]
Redistricting
School Funding/Mandates
Eminent Domain [The return of the Texas transcorridor/ foreign ownership of Texas toll roads]
Economic Stabilization Fund [Texas Rainy Day Fund]
Etc.

A summary of legislative activity can be found by clicking the April 11th document link in the right sidebar.  This table is a brief summary of the legislation being followed by the CLTP Watchdogs during this reporting period.  To more closely investigate any issue listed, please go to the Texas Legislature Online, select “Bill Lookup” under Additional Searches in the middle column, and type in the number of the bill you wish to know more about.

There are a large number of you trained that I have yet to see a report from.  Please use your training, get online, do a report and send it in.  Be creative and find those things that we should be following but nobody knows about it.  Other Tea Parties are contributing to our CLTP Watchdog Program.  I look to our own membership to increase the scrutiny on our Texas Legislature.  As an interesting note about the CLTP Watchdog Program, we have been asked to be regular contributors to a State-wide Tea Party Newsletter that is being developed by a number of Tea Party activists.  Please help us with our content.

This report is different from past reports in that we are placing calls for action in the following Summary of Legislation table below.  We have to start calling, emailing, faxing, and visiting our elected officials on these issues.  Also, the CLTP will be renting a 15 seat van (or 2 if needed) to take members to Austin during the week to visit legislators and their staff to discuss and lobby for our CLTP positions.  A separate announcement concerning the date and agenda of the Austin trip will be forthcoming.

Now is our time.  The Unions and Progressives have made themselves known in Austin.  Now it is our turn for them to hear our growls!  Let’s go get ’em!!