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Follow TURFThe Battle to Kill the Kill Switch
Last night, Rep. Thomas Massie gave a valiant effort to add our kill switch amendment to the THUD appropriations bill in the U.S. House. We came very close (just 28 votes shy). His floor speech was spot on. It’s hard to believe this isn’t some kind of sci fi movie, but sadly, it’s become reality under the Biden Administration that few even read or vetted before it passed.
We hope through the questions posed to Buttigieg through our letter authored by Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA, Chair of Freedom Caucus), we’ll get more details that will help us pull the plug on this dangerous technology being put into every American’s vehicle. This is where the Governor and our Texas legislature should step in to protect our travel liberties from the overreach of the long arm of big government. We’ll continue to step-up our efforts to educate more Texans and members to the threats this technology poses to our constitutional rights.
Apparently one group, MADD, stopped our amendment from passing even though it’s something literally hundreds of groups in Texas alone support, much less Heritage Action, National Motorists Association and Citizens for Renewing America. This isn’t about drunk driving, but mandating this technology be put into every vehicle is an unconstitutional surveillance of Americans that violates our 4th amendment rights. Time is short given the mandate after 2026. This certainly isn’t over.
Read more: The Battle to Kill the...
What did taxpayers get from the 88th Legislature on transportation?
By Terri Hall
Founder/Director
Texans for Toll-free Highways & Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (Texas TURF)
June 6, 2023
While the 88th regular session of the Texas Legislature has come to a close, what did the taxpayers get out of it when it comes to transportation and toll reforms? In short, not much. Let’s break it down.
It’s easier to say what didn’t pass first since none of our filed bills even got a hearing, except one, much less voted out of committee. No bill to stop remote kill switches going into all cars after 2026 (currently mandated by the Biden Infrastructure bill), no bill to stop road diets, no bill to protect drivers’ right to repair, no bill to take tolls down once the road debt is paid for, and no toll collections/billing reform, with the exception of immediately notifying drivers when there's a problem with your payment card (HB 2170). Get the scoop on all this essential legislation here.
HB 2170 by Bobby Guerra (D-McAllen) was a huge missed opportunity. The grassroots jumped in to ask him to sign onto our broader toll billing reform bill, HB 2991 by Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian), as soon as his bill got filed, but he never did. Then when his bill was heard in committee, we asked if he’d consider substituting our language for his since his bill’s language was already in our bill, and he wouldn’t. Then when his bill came to the House floor for a vote, knowing it was too late to have our bill make it to the floor, he once again refused any amendments to his bill, including a pared-down version just capping the toll fines/fees and removing the criminal penalty. He refused to budge.
KXAN deep dive into toll billing woes, includes look at pay-to-play
TURF Founder/Director & Texans for Toll-free Highways Founder, Terri Hall was interviewed in this story.
Despite this coverage in the press, none of our toll billing reform bills passed, although HB 2170 (Guerra) was a good start and contained language from our reform bill, HB 2991 (Harrison).
Radical climate agenda passing in Republican House
How Democrats are passing radical climate policies in Republican House
By Terri Hall, Founder/Director, Texas TURF & Texans for Toll-free Highways
May 2, 2023
Texas Scorecard
When Texas State Representative Erin Zwiener (D-Driftwood) filed a bill to place the state of Texas under a mandatory Climate Action Plan, many across the aisle cried foul. ‘That’ll never happen in Texas. We’re an oil and gas state.’
But the radical policies that come along with a Green New Deal-style Climate Action Plan are being quietly chopped up and parsed out to various other lawmakers who aren’t viewed as far Left as Zwiener, which are sailing through the House Transportation Committee with barely a whimper of opposition from Republicans.
Though Republicans hold an 86-64 seat majority in the Texas House, Democrats still chair significant committees, including House Transportation chaired by Terry Canales (D-Edinburg). While Austin’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) includes intentional slowing of speeds for cars and traffic calming measures designed to restrict the free flow of auto lanes, such climate equity plans can also include increasing penalties on speeding and other aspects of driving. For instance, prohibiting cars from pass pedestrians and cyclists without a specific distance as a buffer. Anything to put barriers in the way of free flowing traffic. Houston’s Climate Action Plan also calls for slower speeds and other anti-car measures, with the express intent of getting people out of their cars and into buses or onto bikes.
TxDOT tries to back away from non-toll plans on 281, 1604
Considering the Alamo RMA just got rejected for a federal bailout (known as a TIFIA loan), how do they anticipate securing enough funding to do either 281 or 1604 as a toll road anyway?