On March 16 the House Transportation Committee will have a public hearing regarding HB 1105 – the Complete Streets Bill. Your involvement is key to making sure they support this essential bill for the safety of pedestrians and cyclists in Texas.
Priority #1 – Show up in person, Wednesday March 16, 8am at the Capitol in Austin.
A strong presence of cyclists in suits will make a big impact on the members of the House Transportation Committee during their public hearing for HB 1105. If you need help getting to Austin or want to find out about possible carpool options from your area, please contact BikeTexas at 512-476-7433 or mail@biketexas.org
Priority #2 – If you are a constituent of any of the Honorable Representatives of the Transporation Committee (see list below), please call or write to urge them to vote YES on HB 1105. Please review our general guidelines for writing your representatives, this will help you write a very effective letter. Some specific points we suggest you make for a letter or phone call regarding HB 1105 are:
- Properly address your representative (see our general guidelines)
- Identify yourself as a constituent (e.g. “I’m a voter in District XX”, or “I live in your district.”)
- Briefly state your background and any relevant affiliations (e.g., I’m a city official/engineer/PTA member/parent and a member of BikeTexas)
- State that HB 1105 (the Complete Streets Bill) is important to you and why in a short sentence or two. Make it personal to your experience. See our FAQ’s for ideas.
- Ask that they vote Yes on HB 1105. Making a specific request is key. You might ask it as a question, e.g. “Will you support HB 1105?”
- Be polite. You might thank them for their public service.
District 62: Rep. Larry Phillips (R-Sherman). Committee Chair.
Phone: (512) 463-029, (903) 891-7297. Email: larry.phillips@house.state.tx.
District 72: Rep. Drew Darby (R-San Angelo). Committee Vice Chair.
Phone: (512) 463-0331, (325) 658-7313. Email: drew.darby@house.state.tx.us
District 25: Rep. Dennis Bonnen (R-Angleton)
Phone: (512) 463-0564, (979) 848-1770. Email: dennis.bonnen@house.state.tx.
District 111: Rep. Yvonne Davis (D-Dallas)
Phone: (512) 463-0598, (214) 941-3895. Email: yvonne.davis@house.state.tx.us
District 130: Rep. Allen Fletcher (R-Houston)
Phone: (512) 463-0661, (281) 374-0894. Email: allen.fletcher@house.state.tx.
District 105: Rep. Linda Harper-Brown (R-Irving). Bill author (constituents, you may want to send her a thank you note for authoring the bill).
Phone: (512) 463-0641, (972) 717-2871. Email: linda.harper_brown@house.
District 1: Rep. George Lavender (R-Texarkana)
Phone: (512) 463-0692. Email: george.lavendar@house.state.
District 39: Rep. Armando Martinez (D-Weslaco)
Phone: (512) 463-0530, (956) 447-9473. Email: armando.martinez@house.state.
District 120: Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon (D-San Antonio)
Phone: (512) 463-0708, (210) 225-2107. Email: ruth.mcclendon@house.state.tx.
District 79: Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso)
Phone: (512) 463-0596, (915) 590-4349. Email: joe.pickett@house.state.tx.us
District 51: Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin)
Phone: (512) 463-0674, (512) 463-0674. Email: eddie.rodriguez@house.state.
Priority #3 – Come to Cyclists in Suits, Monday March 21, 8am – 4pm at the Capitol in Austin.
If you haven’t already, please REGISTER NOW for Cyclists in Suits, the Texas bike lobby day! The timing this year is perfect since the Complete Streets Bill will have had it’s House committee hearing the previous week. We will meet at 8:00 am in the Capitol Auditorium, then after a short briefing we will spread out across the Capitol to urge every Senator and Representative to vote for the Complete Streets Bill.
Every person in Texas who cares about safe walking & bicycling should attend Cyclists in Suits – we need to show the Texas Legislature how many of us support safer streets for all Texans!
