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Senator Wentworth Saves License Plate Bill
It
all came down to the final minutes on the last day
before the Senate's deadline to consider any bills
or joint resolutions on third reading. That's when
State Senator Jeff Wentworth (R-San Antonio) saved
the day by introducing an amendment that included
the Texas Bicycle Coalition's "Share the Road"
license plate bill. The Senate passed House Bill 2971
on third reading at approximately 12:44 a.m. Thursday,
May 29.
The
deft legislative work by the senator prevented any
more unwelcome amendments that might have once again
doomed our bill.
Since
the Senate added amendments to the original version,
the bill goes back to the House for concurrence
by sponsor State Representative Linda Harper-Brown
(R-Irving). The midnight deadline for the House
to print and distribute house copies of all conference
committee reports is Saturday, May 31. The last
day of the 78th regular session is Monday, June
2.
In
close collaboration between TBC's legislative team
and Sen. Wentworth's staff, a plan was hatched to
resurrect the license plate bill from its second
premature death in the House the night before. Earlier
in the week, an amendment on the House floor Sunday
by Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth (R- Burleson) for a "Choose
Life" license plate fizzled on a technicality
thereby defeating Senate Bill 1704, the entire omnibus
license plate bill.
Senator
Wentworth and TBC have quite a history together.
During the 2001 legislative session, Sen. Wentworth
sponsored a bill that TBC strongly opposed. Through
a major grassroots effort, the senator's office
was buried in correspondence from his district,
and everywhere else in the country. Fortunately,
when TBC asked cyclists to oppose the bill and not
the author, they listened. Instead of making a lifetime
enemy, Wentworth has become a strategic ally of
bicyclists in Texas.
If
you are a cyclist in Sen.
Wentworth's district, please take the time to
send him a thank-you note for his effort in the
passage of House Bill 2971, the omnibus license
plate amendment with a provision for a "Share
the Road" license plate. The funds from this
initiative will allow TBC to develop safety programs
for motorist and cyclist safety education.
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