Open bill filing ended Friday for the Texas 83rd legislature. In excess of 4,500 bills were filed. Many of the bills are of local district importance. We will focus on highlighting those bills that have a statewide impact and are consistent with our principles and the resolutions recently passed at the CTxPAC regional caucuses. 

• Status: Filed but not referred to a committee yet.
• Recommendation: FOR
• Research: The Texas Taxpayer Savings Grant Program 
• Comment: It's time has come. We advocated for this in the 82nd session but it never got traction. It will save money for taxpayers and improve children's education.
• Call to action: Contact the authors of the bill to communicate your support.

SJR 4 Proposing a constitutional amendment relating to a person's freedom of religion.  

• Status: Filed but not referred to a committee yet.
• Recommendation: FOR
• Research: Attacks on Religious Liberty in Texas 
• Comment:  Our religious freedom is our most foundational freedom, enshrined in the First Amendment of the Constitution.
• Call to action: Contact the authors of the bill to communicate your support.  

• Status: Assigned to committee. No scheduled discussion. 
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research:  Using Zero Based Budgeting in Texas  
• Comment: It is time to start phasing it in gradually.
• Call to action: Contact committee members to communicate your support.

• Status: HB723 is scheduled for public hearing March 13th 1:00pm NOTICE  
• Recommendation: STRONGLY AGAINST
• Research:  Setting the Record Straight on Renewable Energy Subsidies 
• Comment: Renewable energy subsidies harm the Texas energy grid and consumers.
• Call to action: Contact committee members to kill this bill now. For those who can, please show up at the hearing to witness or testify against it. Every email, call, letter, signed witness card and testimony makes a HUGE difference. 

• Status: Public hearing scheduled for March 13th 2:00pm NOTICE  
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research: Firearms Protection Act 
• Comment: Protection of 2nd amendment rights for Texans.
• Call to action: Continue to contact committee members telling them to move this bill to the house floor. For those who can, please show up at the hearing to witness or testify FOR it. Every email, call, letter, signed witness card and testimony makes a HUGE difference. Encourage your contacts to do the same.  

SB 2 Relating to charter schools and home-rule charter school districts.

• Status: Left pending in committee.
• Recommendation: FOR 
• Comment: Good start for addressing a very important issue.
• Research: Update - Reduce obstacles to creation of home-rule districts, campus charters 
• Call to action: Continue to contact committee members to vote the bill out of committee. 

HB 149 Relating to the Texas Liberty Preservation Act

• Status: Referred to committee. No hearing scheduled. 
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research: National Defense Authorization Act of 2012 
• Comment: Protection of 10th amendment. Challenge constitutionality of NDAA.
• Call to action: Continue to contact committee members to schedule a public hearing.      

• Status: Assigned to committee. No hearing scheduled. 
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research: Protect Traditional Family Values 
• Comment: Texas must continue to promote virtue.
• Call to action: Continue to contact authors and co-authors to express support. 

• Status: Assigned to committee. No hearing scheduled.  
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research: Joint bill filed by Senator Campbell 
• Comment: Good start at nullifying Obama Care  
• Call to action: Continue to contact committee members to schedule a public hearing.

• Status: Referred to committee but not scheduled for hearing 
• Recommendation: STRONGLY FOR
• Research: Fixing the Texas Magin Tax 
• Comment: The franchise tax is more than a business income tax it's a revenue tax that punishes Texas businesses even if they loose money. 
• Call to action: Continue to contact committee members to schedule a public hearing. 

The Patriot Briefing will be sent out once a week preparing you for legislative action in the week ahead. We do not want to over burden you with emails, so ALERTS on changes, new research, comments, opinion and new items during the week will go out through our TWITTER feed @NRNPAC and our FACEBOOK page. To follow and like, click the links on the right hand side tool bar. 

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