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From: John McMillan <mcmillanj@att.net>
To: State Senator Sarah Eckhardt 2020 <sarah.eckhardt@senate.texas.gov>; Rep. Sheryl Cole 2019 CentralTX <sheryl.cole@house.texas.gov>; Gina Hinojosa <gina.hinojosa@house.texas.gov>; Rep. John Bucy 2019CentralTX <john.bucy@house.texas.gov>; Rep. Erin Zwiener 2019CentralTX <erin.zwiener@house.texas.gov>; Rep. James Talarico 2019 Central TX <james.talarico@house.texas.gov>; Rep. Vikki Goodwin 2019CentralTX <vikki.goodwin@house.texas.gov>; Ethics in Government Center 2020 <ncslnet-admin@ncsl.org>; National Conference of State Legislatures <committees@ncsl.org>; National Conf of State Legislatures 2021 <press-room@ncsl.org>; Richard.Raymond@house.texas.gov <richard.raymond@house.texas.gov>; patsy.spaw@senate.texas.gov <patsy.spaw@senate.texas.gov>; Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick <dan.patrick@ltgov.texas.gov>; dade.phelan@speaker.house.gov <dade.phelan@speaker.house.gov>; Texas Tribune Editor in Chief Evan Smith <esmith@texastribune.org>; Austin Police Dept. Asst. 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Sent: Sunday, March 7, 2021, 01:02:01 AM CST
Subject: 3-7-21 urgent need for State Constit. revision to require annual sessions of TX Leg.
March 7, 2021
Dear State Senator Sarah Eckhardt of Austin and State Representative Sheryl Cole of Austin,
The catastrophic failure of utilities and other public services throughout Texas last month was truly a nightmare---a nightmare underscoring a very tragic lack of foresight by state and local government agencies throughout our state.
It is also undeniable that other public-policy nightmares for much of our state---including the outrageous incidence of sexual-assault crimes and other violent crimes; the very alarming incidence of home-invasion crimes in our state; the risk of rapid-spreading wildfires; hurricane-related and tornado-related natural-disaster crises; continuous noise pollution and water pollution injurious to Texans' medical health; unconscionably massive destruction of farmland and cropland and wilderness areas resulting from rampant urban sprawl throughout our state; and difficulties by the Legislature each session in attempting to anticipate and adequately address the budgetary needs of state and local governments, law-enforcement agencies, and public school districts in Texas throughout the next two-year period --- are looming.
The current tradition of our Texas Legislature governing body convening once every two years has been and continues to be a massive failure. Texas is shockingly behind in governance: our state is the only heavily-industrialized and heavily-populous state in the entire nation where the state legislature holds its regular sessions on a biannual basis.
The complexity and scope of a wide array of current and looming public-policy crises facing the entire state of Texas demand significantly increased attentiveness by the Texas Legislature and our entire state government.
Each of you state lawmakers directly represent me in the Texas Legislature. I am urging each of you today to author or sponsor a proposed amendment to the Texas Constitution this session that will require regular sessions of the Texas Legislature on an annual basis. The proposed amendment should also include a provision authorizing a massive increase in the salary levels of any and all state lawmakers of Texas.
On behalf of my public-policy recommendation, I would like to quote from an April 2011 authoritative online statement from the National Conference of State Legislatures, a widely-admired bipartisan non-governmental organization that represents and assists state legislatures throughout the United States, with one sentence in that quoted text having been highlighted by myself for emphasis:
"...Legislatures’ growing role in state government can be measured by the shift from biennial to annual legislative sessions. In 1940 only four state legislatures held annual sessions—and Alabama's legislature met only once every four years. In 2011, only four states still have biennial sessions—Montana, Nevada, North Dakota and Texas. Two changes came recently: Arkansas with its first annual session in 2009, and Oregon with its first in 2011."
That statement was included in a copyrighted online April 2011 report, entitled "State Experiences with Annual and Biennial Budgeting", that was written by Ron Snell for the National Conference of State Legislatures:
A related report, focused on Texas, can be found in the following online February 21, 2019, blog (below) that was written by Claire Allbright. That first-rate report is entitled "For Texas Republicans, a Biennial Legislature Means Less Government". The copyrighted report was published online at "reportingtexas.com", with John Savage the cited editor and publisher of that website. Ms. Allbright's report states that State Rep. Richard Pena Raymond of Laredo, Texas, in several recent sessions of the Legislature has repeatedly but unsuccessfully authored bills proposing an amendment to the state constitution that would officially authorize the Texas Legislature to meet on an annual basis.
I hope that either of both of you Central Texan state lawmakers will help to welcome everyone in Texas to the 21st Century modern world---two decades after Texans celebrated the turning of the century with socializing and festivities.
You can both do that by demanding a modern and rational approach to governance that helps to address a wide variety of long-term and short-term public-policy issues throughout our entire state.
It will truly be a historic day for Texas when either or both of you state lawmakers are willing to author or sponsor a proposed new amendment to the Texas Constitution that requires regular annual sessions of the Texas Legislature.
I hope to hear from either of you state lawmakers in regard to this proposed amendment to the State Constitution of Texas.
Sincerely and Best Wishes,
John Kevin McMillan, founder and only approved current member of the new and non-Christian public-policy-minded and always-sober "Progressive Prohibitionist Religion"---an "Honor Society" religion with very stringent membership-eligibility requirements.
My solo-occupancy efficiency-rental-apartment-unit rental home address ever since June 21, 2019:
8805 North Plaza Drive, Apt. 2418, Austin, TX 78753.
My home phone: (512) 342-2295.
My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.
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