Straus Chairman Byron Cook Blocking Texas Religious Freedom Amendment

from Texas Values: http://pushjunction.com/l/Clr

Religious Freedom Amendment Being Blocked?

by davidwalls

The Texas Religious Freedom Amendment (SJR 4 and HJR 110) is currently sitting in both the Texas House and Senate Committees on State Affairs and has yet to receive a vote. This critically important amendment has been sitting in the house committee for close to 3 weeks since its hearing, and in the senate committee for over a week. Now is the critical hour for you to take action to support religious freedom in Texas.

With less than 40 days left in the session, we are quickly approaching the deadline to protect religious freedom this session. It is saddening to see that in a Republican controlled House and Senate, priority bills of the homosexual lobby have been passed out of committees, but critically important protections of our first freedom have yet to receive a single vote. This is despite the fact that there is wide and growing support among the members for the amendment.
Senator Robert Duncan (R) and Representative Byron Cook (R) are Chairs of the respective committees and have the sole discretion to call for a vote.
The amendment is also supported by leading pro-family, pro-life, and pro-liberty organizations across Texas and is also supported by leading constitutional and religious liberty scholars from across the country. But most importantly – it is supported by freedom loving Texans across our great state.
The Texas Religious Freedom Amendment would provide much needed clear and specific protection in our state constitution for religious freedom. A state religious freedom constitutional amendment provides the best guarantee of lasting protection for citizens’ religious liberties from an overreaching legislature, government bureaucracy, or activist court.

Please take immediate action to support the Texas Religious Freedom Amendment (HJR 110/SJR 4):

1. Contact key members of the Senate and House State Affairs Committees and encourage them to vote the amendment out of committee.

2. Call Senator Duncan at 512-463-0128 and Rep. Cook at 512-463-0730 and tell them to vote out SJR 4/HJR 110.

3. Encourage your own State Senator and State Representative to coauthor the amendment.