The session is not over yet, and so much junk got through the gates before they shut that even the most stalwart of warriors would be discouraged.  HB 2511, by (of all people) Rep. Todd Smith and joint authored by Reps. Anchia, Merritt, McCall, and Strama, basically takes the most odious portions of the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law and attempts to graft them onto Texas election law.  From one action alert I saw this morning:

 

 

HB 2511 is definitely a terrible piece of legislation, strangling political free speech and targeting specific groups.   The comparison to McCain-Feingold should be the big warning sign, as that legislation created the tax structure that daunts many who would speak out and causes those who do to fumble and tread lightly where they should never have to in a free country.  

 

The worst part of this?  HB 2511 was given a shot at life late last night, with no record vote.

 

Now, it was fairly smart to let there be just a voice vote - before you get mad at me, let me explain why.  At best, last night, there were only 25 solid "no" votes.  It would have been an embarassment to let it pass out with those kinds of odds.  Today, on 3rd reading, there is a more solid opportunity to kill the bill.  The opposition has had time to think, to gather talking points, and strategize.  This is the way things have to be played sometimes.  So much junk was out on the floor this week, it's easy to see how preparing to defeat HB 2511 would have been difficult.

 

The rules of the legislature do require that House-originating bills that have passed on second reading must pass on third reading by the end of today, or they're dead.  Senate-originating bills must pass on third reading in the House by May 26 (and vice versa).  There is a window for defeating HB 2511 and the best opportunity to do so is while it is in the House.  For every step up the ladder a bill goes, the window and chance to kill it gets smaller and more treacherous.  Yes, the best thing would be for HB 2511 to have died in committee.  But let's be honest - when it came to the Elections Committee this session, everyone was focused on voter i.d., and everything else came second.  Play nice, let the chairman (Smith) have this one small victory, and let's focus on getting voter i.d. out.

 

Calls to legislators on HB 2511 are helpful, but please keep in mind that you win nothing if you are rude.  And calls to the joint authors are probably useless (after all, they have a vested interest in passage).  

 

I will breathe a heavy sigh of relief when today is over, I must say.  This session has been a brutal one for Republicans and conservatives in general.  Going into the home stretch in the next few weeks will be no less gruesome, but it will be less dense.