ACTION ALERT: END GOVERNMENT COVID MANDATES!
SB 29 by Sen. Birdwell is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s priority legislation to ban COVID mandates and will be heard in the Senate State Affairs Committee on Monday, March 20! If passed, this bill would prohibit any government entity from mandating face coverings, COVID vaccines, or closures of private businesses or public schools in response to COVID.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD FROM HOME OR IN PERSON:
1. Participate From Home – THREE WAYS
A- Email the Committee Members
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
SAMPLE EMAIL MESSAGE:
Dear Senator,
I am writing to you today to ask you to please VOTE YES to pass SB 29 favorably out of the State Affairs Committee on Monday, March 20.
Without legislation to protect Texans from continued COVID lockdowns and mandates, we will be unable to lift emergency orders without risking local governments trying to force masks, vaccines and closures again.
Thank you,
[YOUR NAME]
Or use your own personal experience in your email to the committee regarding COVID mask mandates, vaccine mandates, or closures of schools and businesses.
B- Call the Committee Members who are not bill authors and urge them to vote YES on HB 81:
Chairman Hughes* – 512-463-0101
Vice Chair Paxton – 512-463-0108
Sen. Perry – 512-463-0128
Sen. LaMantia – 512-463-0127
Sen. Birdwell 512-463-0122
Sen. Bettencourt 512-463-0107
Sen. Middleton 512-463-0111
Sen. Schwertner 512-463-0105
Sen. Parker 512-463-0112
Sen. Menendez 512-463-0126
Sen. Zaffirini 512-463-0121
*Feel free to add a special thank you in your calls to Chairman Hughes for calling the hearing
C- Submit Written Testimony!
If you are unable to attend the hearing but would like to submit written testimony to be turned in by a TFVC representative at the committee hearing, please email your testimony no later than 5pm on Sunday, March 19 to Michelle at [email protected].
2. Participate IN PERSON at the Capitol – TWO WAYS
The hearing begins at 8:30am, and in person participation is best if you can arrive as close to 8am as possible.
A- Register For the Bill – Quick, painless, and EFFECTIVE!
Come to the capitol on Wednesday between 8-10am (extremely time sensitive!) and use either your personal tablet or the Senate kiosks either outside the Senate Chambers or in the building extension to register FOR the bills. If you use your personal tablet or laptop, you must be connected to Capitol WiFi to be able to register. If you are NOT wanting to stay to provide oral testimony, then be sure to click Not Testify on this screen of the registration process:
Learn more about the registration process here.
B- Testify For the Bill
Ready to dive into testifying orally during a hearing? We make it easy! Promise! After reviewing TFVC’s How to Testify PowerPoint, you can write your own two minute testimony or we can provide speaking notes for you. Email Michelle today to get more information about submitting oral or written testimony: [email protected]