January 5, 2001
A new era of communication...
The strength of Texas Farm Bureau rests in its grassroots membership. This is particularly true in our organization's legislative program. The most effective Farm Bureau lobbyist is you.
The key to empowering you and all other TFB members in this process is information. Legislation information that is timely, accurate, and understandable.
To that end, the 77th Legislature that convenes on Jan. 9 will usher in a new era of communication between our Austin legislative office and TFB members. We're excited about our plans. And we hope you take our increased efforts as an invitation for you to become better informed and more involved in the legislative process.
We will utilize the TFB web site (www.txfb.org) heavily during the session to update and disseminate important information on TFB priority issues, bills, and committee hearings. The 77th Texas Legislature link on the web site will lead you to the latest developments regarding the 18 state legislative priorities of the organization, important committee hearing postings and actions, and TFB-related news from Austin.
The weekly Austin Newsletter that has in the past been printed and mailed to County FB offices and selected County FB leaders will now also be available to everyone via the TFB web page. Look for the Austin Newsletter on Friday afternoon of every week, but check the web site more often for time-sensitive items.
We'll do our best to make the legislative link on the web site all that it can be. Timely, accurate, and understandable: that's our goal. And please remember Texas Legislature Online, the free state-provided web site at www.capitol.state.tx.us that offers a comprehensive overview and resource for all activities of the Texas Legislature.
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As of this writing, some things are certain about the upcoming legislative session, some things are not.
What we do know is that the balance of power between Republicans and Democrats is identical to the 1999 session. There are newly-elected members in both the House and Senate, but the numbers by party affiliation have not changed.
The Texas House has a 78-72 Democratic majority. The Texas Senate has a 16-15 Republican majority. The Honorable Rick Perry is the new Governor of Texas. Current Speaker of the House Pete Laney, a Democrat, will be re-elected.
We do not know who the members of the Texas Senate will elect as their presiding officer. The 77th Legislature will begin on Jan. 9 and conclude on May 28. The population figures from the U.S. Census will reach Austin no later than April 1. At that time, the politically-charged redistricting process will begin in earnest.
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The TFB Legislative staff in Austin may be reached at 512/472-8288.
