Texas Pastor Protection Bill

[pancreasman]

Very much. It's a slow night in Mayberry.

Mayberry has WiFi?

[Cow Poke]

Mayberry has WiFi?

Come on, Pman - this is the 20th Century!

[Christianbookworm]

Come on, Pman - this is the 20th Century!

21st century

[pancreasman]

21st century

Not in Mayberry. It's 1952.

[Cow Poke]

21st century

What? When did THAT happen?

[Cow Poke]

Not in Mayberry. It's 1952.

And Aunt Bea is taking a fresh cobbler out of the oven as we speak.

[Teallaura]

I don't think you know me well enough to psycho-analyze, Cow Poke. And you really shouldn't try.

And I'm fairly exhausted, which means I'm much less inhibited, which means I've said all I'm going to say on this matter.

Go to bed already!


I have had more than a few discussions with you and he's right - you are verbose. You're also incoherent from the lack of sleep or you'd realize that's not psychoanalysis.

Go to bed!

[Jedidiah]

And Aunt Bea is taking a fresh cobbler out of the oven as we speak.

I have been watching those shows while riding my stationary recumbent bike. I liked 1952 - I was still in school in a nation I could be proud of (mostly).

[Cow Poke]

Just for the record, occasionally, somebody will mention a case where a city is trying to force two ministers to perform gay weddings.

Here's a link from Huffington Post which gives the details, many of which are correct, albeit somewhat biased.

Fact is, this couple has made a BUSINESS out of doing weddings, and they do not otherwise operate as a church or ministry.

[Cow Poke]

This just in......

Texas Pastor Council

HB 3567, a bill that would protect clergy from being forced to participate in weddings that violate our faith convictions which drew over 100 pastors to Austin last week for a State Affairs Committee hearing, passed out of the State Affairs Committee Monday night on an 8 to 1 vote.
The bill now goes to the Calendars Committee where it will need to be voted on to move to the final steps before full House vote.

[Cow Poke]

This is quite a pleasant surprise...

Lt. Governor Dan Patrick (Texas) just suspended the Senate rules to let Sen. Wayne Estes file SB 2065, the companion to HB 3567 (the Clergy Protection Bill for which many of us attended the hearing in the House last week.) Governor Patrick referred it to the Senate State Affairs Committee and they are suspending the posting rules to to hear it this Thursday, April 30 at 9:00 a.m. in the Senate Chambers.

Because the two bills are companion bills in the House and Senate respectively, and have essentially the same language, if both pass their house of origin, they don't need to go to "the other chamber" for reconciliation, but would go directly to the Governor for him to sign into law.

[Cow Poke]

OK, so much for the pleasant surprise.

I showed up at the Capitol to "sign on" to this bill and to testify for it, and it was nowhere to be found. (You go to a kiosk in the hallway and basically sign in on an iPad, selecting the bill you wish to address, and post your information, your name, who you represent, whether you are for or against the bill, and whether or not you wish to testify)

Finally, late morning, the bill showed up on the kiosk login, but didn't have a hearing room or a way to "sign on" - just a notice to see the secretary in the hearing room, which was vacant.

Long story short, one of the liberal Senators from San Antonio had filed a procedural challenge, so the bill was pulled. While "our side" is labeling this as "dirty tricks", to be honest, what Lt. Dan Patrick did could just as easily be seen as "dirty tricks" by their side. (he had suspended the Senate rules)

Both sides are using whatever political "tricks" available to them - the conservatives to speed it up, and the liberals to slow it down.

My lobbyist friend tells me it will be "up" again on Monday, ready for hearing.

[Cow Poke]

For whomsoever mightest be interested.....

I found out a little more about what's going on here....

The guy from San Antonio had run in a special election. He was a conservative Democrat, and apparently took a lot of Republican money to win his race. He was actually endorsed by some Republicans, which caused his Democrat friends to suspect he was a traitor, and only ran as a Democrat because it's the only way he could win. Now, he has to run again in 18 months, and his constituents are skeptical.

So, when the Democrat Caucus decided to try to block this bill, they decided to let this guy carry the banner to "prove" he's on board with the Democrats.

From what I can see, the Democrats are going to create quite a circus trying to block this bill.

[Cow Poke]

So, the Senate version (SB2065) was heard this morning, and I was there to testify and to hear testimony. I was pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming support for this Bill, and the very MILD opposition from the left. It almost seems like they're resigned to its passage, and are only offering minor changes to make it more palatable for them. Even the ACLU spoke only slightly "against", with a reservation that they understand that there was, indeed, a slight change in the wording, which they could now support, insisting that they are FOR religious liberty.

I had been warned that the liberals were "rounding up the crazies" to testify, and that's why the legal maneuvering to delay it. I didn't see any of that - everybody was polite and professional and spoke to the issue.

[pancreasman]

So, the Senate version (SB2065) was heard this morning, and I was there to testify and to hear testimony. I was pleasantly surprised at the overwhelming support for this Bill, and the very MILD opposition from the left. It almost seems like they're resigned to its passage, and are only offering minor changes to make it more palatable for them. Even the ACLU spoke only slightly "against", with a reservation that they understand that there was, indeed, a slight change in the wording, which they could now support, insisting that they are FOR religious liberty.

I had been warned that the liberals were "rounding up the crazies" to testify, and that's why the legal maneuvering to delay it. I didn't see any of that - everybody was polite and professional and spoke to the issue.

See? Sometimes the dreaded left can be reasonable.