Texas Senate Redistricting Hearing Thursday 7/16 (Austin, TX)

[sonias]

Like a zombie from a bad B movie, redistricting reared its ugly head again today with yet more bad maps engineered by Tom DeLay being passed around the Capitol and rumored that they will be submitted later this evening in the Senate Jurisprudence committee meeting.

FINAL HEARING SET FOR THURSDAY.--Tomorrow, Thursday July 17th at 9 am, please come testify against these outrageous map and the continued effort of Republicans to remove Central Texas' voice in Washington. If you have testified previously, you can still sign in and speak against this specific map.

Senate Jurisprudence Committee Hearing on Redistricting
Thursday, July 17th
Texas Capitol Extension Auditorium (E1.004)
9:00am

SENATE VOTES ON FRIDAY.--The map is expected to be voted out of committee on Thursday and voted on by the full Senate as soon as Friday, July 18th. The time for the Senate floor vote has not yet been scheduled, but please come help pack the gallery and let the Senators know that the people of Texas are watching as they disenfranchise voters across the state. You can verify the time of the session by checking the Senate website at www.senate.state.tx.us.

Please attend on Thursday and Friday and continue the fight to preserve the voting rights and representation of the citizens of Travis County and across the state.

Don't get mad, TAKE ACTION!
--------------------------

Sonia

[Elanor]

1. unfortunately

My daughter's having oral surgery tomorrow, so I'll be out of commission for the final hearings. Here's what Lloyd Doggett sent out. just for more detail:

Despite the announcement
by the senior Senate Republican that he opposes redistricting and
some pronouncing redistricting dead earlier this week, more bad
maps engineered by Tom DeLay were floated around the Capitol
with rumors that they would be introduced in the Senate
Jurisprudence committee meeting tonight.

TRAVIS COUNTY TO BE CUT INTO AT LEAST THREE.--The
new maps slice and dice Travis County into at least three
congressional districts, ensuring Austin loses its voice in
Washington and guaranteeing DeLay can continue pushing his
extremist agenda for at least a decade. Thousands of our neighbors
from across Texas have testified against redistricting in both the
House and Senate and yet the legislators continue to disregard the
voice of the people.

FINAL HEARING SET FOR THURSDAY.--Tomorrow, Thursday
July 17th at 9 am, the committee will hear testimony concerning
this outrageous map. The hearing is scheduled in the Capitol
Extension room E1.004 and is open to the public.

SENATE VOTES ON FRIDAY.--The map is expected to be voted
out of committee on Thursday and voted on by the full Senate as
soon as Friday, July 18th. You have the right to attend the debate
that will occur on the Senate floor on this matter. The time for
this vote has not yet been scheduled, but you can check the
newspaper or the Senate website (www.senate.state.tx.us) to verify
the time.

In addition to attending the hearing and debate you can take the
following actions:

1. If you are represented by State Senator Jeff Wentworth you may
express your opposition to any new redistricting plan and let them
know you support the current map. Contact information is
available at:
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/citizenResources/ContactLeg..html.

2. You may also contact relatives or friends outside Travis County
and ask them to call their Senators with the same message. They
can look up their Seantor by visiting this website:
http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/fyi/fyi.htm.

[sonias]

2. Another time change - are we surprised?

The meeting that was scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. has now been moved to 1:30 p.m. in the same hearing room please pass this information and if you can attend please be there to voice your concern.

Interesting reading in the local Austin rag. The repuke map maker quit yesterday.
http://www.statesman.com/legislature/content/coxnet/texas/legislature/0703/0717redistrict.html
Latest mapmaker still wants Travis County divided three ways
Now Harris, Dewhurst's choice to draw the maps, has quit mysteriously in the middle of the redistricting session.

"I have found now there's a computer glitch in the software, and actually those two maps will now not stand up, and both maps had to be adjusted," Harris said of the two versions he was to propose. "At this point, I'm out of the map-drawing business. Senator Staples now has that privilege."

Sonia