Texas School Districts Want to Charge Parents to Get Kid's Records

Dear friends:

Our freedoms never disappear in a single fell swoop; it's bit by bit by bit. A harmless tea tax here, SB 889 there.

Remember SB 889? The bill which if it passes in the House will enable our school districts to start levying the-moon-and- the-stars public records charges of their own determination after 100 pages per month? So all of their records will suddenly be in another building*?

The hearing for SB 889 is scheduled for 8 a.m. Monday morning, May 7, before the House State Affairs Committee. Because of the early hour -- even though it may not be heard until midnight -- there will be no time for us to safely wait and visit these folks on the State Affairs committee that day. When they start the hearing for SB 889, we must be there, so we have to arrive on time and sit and wait, wait, wait.

I spent time yesterday afternoon visiting with State Affairs representatives and their staffs and was told again and again that they've already heard from us, in person.

You can send letters and faxes; those are important. You can make phone calls; those are important also. You can contact your own representative, that will count ultimately if it reaches the House floor.

But what will count most will be your physical presence Monday at the hearing. Over and over I heard yesterday in the State Affairs committee offices about the fact that folks had visited their offices. They didn't tell me about the phone calls and letters and faxes. It was the physically showing up.

They're paid government employees/lobbyists ** and we're volunteers
It's not fair that paid government employees and paid lobbyists, for whom this is a normal workday, will be there in droves with all of their time and expenses paid -- ultimately by us.

By contrast, all of us who come must put aside our jobs -- the jobs that pay the property taxes that pay the government employees' and lobbyists' salaries -- do so at our own expense in wear and tear on our cars, parking, etc. -- in order to come and be counted also. If the government employees give the committee members a handout, they have paid staffers to take care of it. Where we pay for the copies for the committee out of our own pockets, the government employees' copies are paid for at a machine funded one way or another by our tax dollars. The government employees have had PR training -- ultimately paid for by us -- whereas we're moms and dads and grandparents and taxpayers.

It really is not fair.

It's not going to be easy and we're being granted no special favors.
When SB 889 was heard in committee in the Senate, although the called time was 8 a.m., SB 889 was not heard -- I have been told -- until 8:30 pm that night. On the record, only one person was physically present to oppose: God bless him, David Lowery of the Austin American-Statesman.

This is why I'm spending Monday, on my own dime and time, to talk to folks at the Lege***. Please call me/email if you can find it in your heart and schedule to come, too. If there is anything I can do to help you come, please let me know.

Sending blessings and gratitude to all of you for all you do in this important work.

Peyton Wolcott
P.O. Box 9068
Horseshoe Bay, TX 78657
www.peytonwolcott. com