* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. UH, EVERYBODY [00:00:01] WELCOME TO THE MONDAY, [Legislative Affairs Committee on January 25, 2021] JANUARY 25TH, 2020 MEETING OF THE LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. I'M CHAIRMAN ROBERT JOHN SMITH TODAY WITH ME, OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, BJ WILLIAMS, UH, AND OUR JOB, AND, UH, ALSO TENDING AS DEPUTY MAYOR PRO TIM DEBRA MORRIS. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, LET'S GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED WITH AGENDA ITEM ONE, A APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES. HAS ANYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW THEM? AND ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS HERE OR NOTHING? DO I HAVE A MOTION SECOND? ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCIL MEMBER ROBIN, THE SECOND FROM COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS, ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE, AYE. ANY OPPOSED OR NOTHING THAT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY AND YOU SHOULD HAVE A SIGNED COPY IN YOUR INBOX. HOPEFULLY LAURA, SO VERY GOOD. ALRIGHT. UH, ITEM TWO, UH, A IS ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION, UM, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS, BECAUSE I TOTALLY FAILED IN MY OBLIGATIONS AS A CHAIR. I DIDN'T WRITE IN, UH, THE SECTION FOR PUBLIC COMMENTARY, UH, BUT OF COURSE THAT IS REQUIRED BY LAW. AND WE DO HAVE AT EACH MEETING, UH, I'VE ALSO GOT, UH, UH, GROWING, UH, FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, UH, PRESIDENT, BILL CRUZ ON WITH US AS A PANELIST TODAY. UH, I'D SPOKEN TO BILL, UH, PREVIOUSLY AND HE'D WANTED TO ADDRESS THE COMMITTEE. AND SO I'D LIKE TO, UH, GIVE HIM AS LONG AS HE NEEDS HERE, UH, THIS AFTERNOON TO GO AHEAD AND SPEAK WITH US. UH, ARE THERE ANY OBJECTIONS TO EXTENDING THE USUAL THREE THREE-MINUTE UH, MR. CRUZ. WELCOME, SIR. THANK YOU. I HOPEFULLY WON'T NEED MORE THAN THREE MINUTES. UH, UH, I AM AT THE FIRE STATION TODAY, SO MY TIME MAY BE INTERRUPTED BY THE NEEDS OF THE CITIZENS, UH, BUT, UH, APPRECIATE CERTAINLY THE INVITATION TO SPEAK. UM, AND, UH, THIS, THIS SESSION, OUR, OUR LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS OF COURSE DOMINATED BY COVID. WE, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THE SESSION IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE. UM, OUR BIGGEST PUSHES THIS YEAR ARE TO STOVE UP OUR, OUR CANCER LEGISLATION. UH, AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT AS A PROFESSION AS A, A LABOR ORGANIZATION AND AS A DEPARTMENT, WE'RE CERTAINLY NOT COMING TO THE CITIES GOING, HEY, YOU'RE GOING TO COVER THIS JUST NO MATTER WHAT, UH, ALONG WITH THAT, WE ARE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME, UH, IN RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS AND POLICY, MAKING SURE THAT OUR PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY NEED TO DO ON THEIR PART TO PROTECT THEMSELVES. UM, YOU KNOW, A BIG THING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS DONE IS THE, THE SECOND SET OF BUNKER GEAR THAT IS HUGE, UH, THE ABILITY TO HAVE A FIREFIGHTER FINISHED FIGHTING FIRE. AND JUST SO YOU KNOW, WHEN WE GO INTO A FIREWORK EXPOSED TO OVER 400 CARCINOGENS IN A FIRE, UM, THAT SOAKS INTO OUR GEAR, SOAKS INTO THE HOODS THAT'S AROUND OUR HEAD, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UM, THEY'RE EVEN FINDING THAT SOME OF OUR GEAR NOW IS, HAS CA HAS CARCINOGENS IN, IN ITSELF. UM, SO HAVING THAT SECOND SET OF GEAR SO THAT A FIREFIGHTER WHO IS EARLY ON IN THEIR SHIFT GOES AND FIGHTS A FIRE, THEY CAN CONTACT THAT GEAR OFF, PUT A SECOND SET OF GEAR TO THE APPARATUS AND BE READY FOR THE NEXT ONE. UH, SO THEN THAT GEAR CAN BE CLEANED. UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THOSE THINGS, WE'RE LOOKING AT POLICIES, THINGS THAT OUR PEOPLE NEED TO DO, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING TO, TO STOVE UP THAT, UH, PRESENTIVE LEGISLATION, BECAUSE EVERY DAY WE'RE FINDING OUT MORE AND MORE CANCERS ARE LINKED TO WHAT WE'RE DOING. UH, THEY'RE EVEN FINDING RESEARCH NOW THAT WE ALL HAVE SOME SORT OF CANCER LIVING IN US. IT'S JUST A MATTER OF, AT SOME POINT IN YOUR LIFE, YOU HIT A KEY THAT, THAT OPENS THAT DOOR AND RELEASES IT. UM, SO, UM, IT'S NOT NECESSARILY THAT THE, WHAT WE'RE EXPOSED TO IS CAUSING THE CANCER, BUT IT IS THAT KEY THAT UNLOCKS IT AND RELEASES IT AND LETS IT, UH, TOOK THE RAVAGES. UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, UH, UH, TWO FIREFIGHTERS OFF RIGHT NOW, UH, ONE WHO IS, UH, WHO IS IN REMISSION, ONE WHO HAD SURGERY YESTERDAY, UH, FOR CANCER, BOTH OF THEM WE BELIEVE WHOLEHEARTEDLY, UH, ARE LINKED TO THAT. SO, UM, THAT OF COURSE IS WHERE WE'LL BE SPENDING A LOT OF OUR TIME. UH, THE OTHER PART OF OUR TIME IS GOING TO BE SPENT, UH, WORKING AGAINST SOME OF THE LEGISLATION THAT WE SEE COMING, UM, THAT WOULD AFFECT OUR ABILITY TO WORK IN THE ENVIRONMENT SUCH AS DUES DEDUCTION, UH, OUR ABILITY TO MEET WITH COUNCIL THINGS SUCH AS THAT, UM, THERE ARE THOSE THAT WOULD LIKE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE, UH, LABOR UNIONS GO AWAY. UM, WE'VE GOT A BAD NAME BECAUSE OF SOME, UH, OF THE UNIONS THAT, THAT ARE OUT THERE, BUT WE TRULY SEE OUR POSITION WITH THE CITY AS A PARTNERSHIP. UM, WE, WE TRULY WANT FOR SUCCESS. UM, AND WE SEE OURSELVES AND WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THAT, YOU KNOW, AT THE TABLE. SO THINGS THAT WE SEE, THINGS THAT WE CAN BRING, UH, AS A LABOR ORGANIZATION TO OUR PEOPLE TO SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHERE WE NEED TO BE. THIS IS WHAT WE NEED TO DO. UM, THE CITY IS DOING THIS FOR US. WE NEED [00:05:01] TO DO THIS FOR THEM. AND AT THE END WE DO BETTER FOR OUR CITIZENS. SO, BUT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHERE WE ARE. UM, AND I'M MORE THAN HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE WE ARE ON, ON SOME OF THE LEGISLATIVE ISSUES COMING UP. UM, UNFORTUNATELY TODAY WE WERE SUPPOSED TO START OUR INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION, UH, VIRTUALLY AND AMAZINGLY WHEN THEY FLIPPED THE SWITCH, THE WHOLE SYSTEM CRASHED. UH, SO WE, WE, WE HAVE BEEN DELAYED, SO NO. ALL RIGHT, WELL THANK YOU, SIR. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UH, EVERYBODY AND KEEP IN MIND GUYS, WE'RE NOT REALLY POSTED FOR IT. SO LET'S KEEP THINGS AT A MINIMUM AND WE'LL, UH, WE'LL DO AN IN-DEPTH DIVE ON THIS LATER, BUT, UH, IS THERE ANYTHING ANYBODY CAN GET OUT THERE FOR FUTURE DISCUSSION HEARING? NOTHING. ALL RIGHT, BILL, WE REALLY APPRECIATE YOU. OH, IF SOMEBODY NEEDS SOMETHING, THANK YOU. I'M JUST GOING TO HAVE TO KNOW AND BE ALL GOOD TO SEE YOU. GOOD TO SEE YOU, SIR. R W W WITHOUT DIVING DOWN OR GETTING, GETTING MORE SPECIFIC BILL, UM, OR ARE THERE, HAVE THERE BEEN ANY DISCUSSIONS OF THIS POINT WITH ANY OF OUR AREA LEGISLATURES, LEGISLATORS? YOU DON'T HAVE TO NAME NAMES. YOU CAN JUST ANSWER THIS. YES OR NO. IF YOU WANT TO, REGARDING THOSE CONCERNS, THOSE CONCERNS ON A GENERAL LEVEL THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT, HAVE YOU GUYS HAD ANY DISCUSSION WITH OUR LOCAL DELEGATION? HEY, YOU KNOW, THE GENERAL CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE NORMALLY WITH OUR, OUR, OUR LOCALS OR, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, LEGISLATORS. UM, BUT NOW WE, WE HAVEN'T HAD ANY SIT-DOWN MEETINGS. UM, AGAIN, COVID HAS AFFECTED SO MUCH OF THAT. RIGHT. UM, BUT, UH, UM, NOW OUR, OUR OFFICE IN AUSTIN, UM, I'M SURE HAS VISITED WITH THEM, UH, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT ON, ON SOME DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT, UH, AS FAR AS GARLAND, UH, NO, WE HAVEN'T VISITED WITH ANYBODY SPECIFICALLY ABOUT ANY SPECIFIC ISSUES. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AGAIN. GOOD TO HAVE YOU APPEAL. THANKS, SIR. THANK YOU, MR CHAIR. YES, SIR. ALL RIGHT. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS SEEING NOTHING, BILL, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR, FOR COMING AND TALKING TO US TODAY. AND, UH, WE'RE GOING TO DO A DEEP DIVE INTO THE PUBLIC SAFETY SIDE IS THE BILLS FROM UP, UM, THAT ARE, THAT ARE GETTING FILED DOWN IN AUSTIN. AND, UH, OF COURSE YOU ALWAYS HAVE AN OPEN INVITATION TO DROP IN ANY TIME, BUT, UH, I'LL MAKE SURE THAT, UH, WE'LL LET YOU, AND, UH, BOTH YOU AND MATT SMITH KNOW, UH, THOSE DATES THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. SO YOU GUYS CAN BE HERE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, AND JUST AS A SIDE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE ALSO ARE GOING TO BE WORKING AT ANYTIME WE CAN TO, UH, DEFEAT THE TAX CAP. UM, THAT'S, THAT'S SUCH A DEEP EFFECT ON NOT ONLY JUST THE CITY, BUT YOU KNOW, ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THERE AND, AND JUST IT'S BAD LEGISLATION. UM, AND, AND, AND COVID HAS BEEN AN EXAMPLE OF THAT. UH, YOU KNOW, THESE TYPES OF SITUATIONS COME UP, IT'S, UH, IT AFFECTS ALL OF US AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A HARD HIT, SO, UM, BUT THANK YOU FOR THE TIME. APPRECIATE IT. AND YOU'LL HAVE A GREAT DAY. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC IN THE QUEUE, SO LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO, A, UH, DISCUSSION ON BUILDING MATERIALS IN 30 DAY SHOT CLOCK BILLS. UH, MR. NEIGHBOR, DID WE HAVE SOMEBODY THAT WANTED TO SPEAK ON THAT? YES, SIR. UM, LAURA, IF, UH, DID YOU GET MY ONE PAPER? COULD YOU PULL THAT UP, SHARE YOUR SCREEN AND WE WILL PUT THIS IN YOUR BOX. UH, I'M SORRY, FOR THE, UH, BEEN WORKING ON IT ALL DAY. AND I SAID IT TO LORI ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AGO AND NICE. HOW WOULD DIE WITHOUT LOWER? HOLD ON. LET'S TAKE HIM JUST A LITTLE BIT. IT IS COMING SOON. UH, GOODNESS, HERE IT IS. UM, YOU'RE A COM WHAT'S THIS, IF YOU'VE HEARD US USE THE TERM ONE PAGER, AND IT'S THE EQUIVALENT OF, OF WHAT Y'ALL GET IN A POLICY REPORT OR AN ITEM SUMMARY SHEET ON YOUR AGENDA. UH, BUT THESE ARE TAILORED TO A PARTICULAR BILL OR, OR A WISH HERE AT, WE HAVE A, WE DON'T HAVE A BILL RIGHT NOW THAT WOULD BE THE VEHICLE TO CARRY THIS MESSAGE, BUT YOU'LL RECALL. UM, REPRESENTATIVE BUTTON HAD REACHED OUT ASKING FOR OUR INPUT ON THIS PARTICULAR ONE IS THE BUILDING BUILDINGS MATERIAL, UH, MS. FREY, THAT BUILDING MATERIAL. UM, REMEMBER THE BUILDING MATERIAL BLOG FROM LAST SESSION [00:10:01] EFFECTIVELY SAYS THAT WE CAN'T CONTROL ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO PUT ON YOUR HOUSE. YOU'RE REALLY OUT TO BUILD IT OTHER THAN WHAT'S ALREADY INTERNATIONAL CODE. SO IF, UH, IF A BUILDING MATERIAL IS APPROVED WITHIN THE LAST THREE CYCLES OF THE NATIONAL CODE, THEN YOU CAN USE IT ON YOUR HOUSE, SAY, UM, UH, WITHOUT RESTRICTION BY THE CITY NOW, THAT'S IT HASN'T CREATED SPECIFIC PROBLEM RIGHT NOW. WHAT'S ANTICIPATED THOUGH IN GROWING AND WE'RE A BUILT-OUT COMMUNITY. UM, THE NEWER INFILL THAT WE'RE SAYING, UM, IT HASN'T BEEN BAD. I'M NOT SAYING THAT, BUT THE POSSIBILITY IS THERE, UM, FOR SOMEONE TO COME ALONG, I'LL GIVE YOU A, UH, A BAD EXAMPLE, BUT IT TO REAL WORLD. SO I GET TIRED OF THE SIDING ON MY HOUSE. I HAVE VERY LITTLE BRICK THAT MY SIDING, MY VINYL SIDING FALLING APART. I DECIDED TO GO DOWN TO LOWE'S AND BUY SOME NATIONAL CODE APPROVED CORRUGATED SHEET METAL. AND I CLEARED MY HOUSE IN THE CORRUGATED SHEET METAL IN THE CITY. DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT? NOPE, NOT IF IT'S A, UH, AN APPROVED MATERIAL WITH AN APPROVED ATTACHMENT METHODOLOGY, UH, AS PROVIDED IN ONE OF THOSE NATIONAL CODES. AND I COULD SAY THE CURRENT BUILD IS BACK THREE CYCLE, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO, UH, JIM OAK AND, UM, WILL GARREN, UH, JIM OAK IN PARTICULAR, BECAUSE HE'S TIED INTO STATEWIDE, UH, BUILDING OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION, THEY'VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS THERE BEING NO HOPE OF REPEALING THIS BILL. AND WE'RE NOT SUGGESTING THAT, BUT LEAST TO MAKE SOME AMENDMENTS THAT WILL ADDRESS OUR CONCERNS. UM, NOW WHAT YOU SAY HERE IS A COMPLETE DRAFT. IT'S JUST MY VERSION OF THIS ONE. PAGER IT'S OPEN TO ANY INPUT FROM THE COMMITTEE, OR WE CAN, UH, DELETE IT AND START OVER. BUT IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF THIS ONE PAGER EXPLANATION OF WHAT OUR ISSUES ARE AND WHAT WE TRY TO DO RATHER THAN JUST COMPLAIN IS OFFERED SOME SOLUTIONS. SO WHAT YOU SEE AS WE GO THROUGH THIS IS, UH, AN ACTUAL AMENDMENT AND UNFORTUNATELY MY, UH, TRACTORS AND DOUBLE LINES AREN'T SHOWING HERE. UM, BUT WHAT I DID WAS, UH, GO TO THE PARTICULAR PORTION OF THE BILL, UH, THAT WE HAVE CONCERNED WITH AND OFFERED, SUGGESTED AMENDMENTS, UH, TO THAT PARTICULAR PROVISION OF THE BILL. SO HERE IT SUGGESTS AMENDING SECTION 3000 OH TWO, A ONE IN WHAT WE'RE PLUGGING IN HERE IS, UM, SOME CONCERNS THAT JIM OLD POINTED OUT LAST THREE CODE CYCLES IS A PROBLEM FOR US. UM, BECAUSE IT COULD BE THAT IN ALASKA, IT'S LIKE OLD OR INTERVENED, LET'S SAY WE'RE, WE'RE ON A 2018 BUILDING AND WE HAVE A TORNADO. AND WE FIND OUT THAT SOME BUILDING MATERIAL OR, OR WAY OF APPLYING THAT BUILDING MATERIAL IS EFFICIENT. WE HAVE BLOWS OFF IN THE WIND OR THE HAIL STORM KNOCKS IT INTO PIECES. AND WE SAID, WELL, THAT DOESN'T WORK. AND SO, UM, IF IT'S IN THE LAST THREE CODE CYCLES OUT TOUGH FOR US, IF THEY WANT TO REBUILD, THEY CAN USE THE SAME. WHAT WE KNOW IS EFFECTIVE MATERIAL, UM, BECAUSE IN THE LAST THREE CODE CYCLES, IT WAS APPROVED. SO THEY COULD PUT IT RIGHT BACK UP. WE KNOW IF ANOTHER WINDOW COMES UP, IT'S GOING TO BLOW UP AND UP IN THE STREET AND TAXPAYER GOING TO HAVE TO PAY, TO PICK IT UP AND HAUL IT TO THE LANDFILL. WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO OUR SUGGESTION IS TO MAKE IT THE MOST CURRENT CODE CYCLE, BECAUSE HOPEFULLY WE'VE CAUGHT UP AND, AND LEARNED LESSONS AND FOUND OUT IF SOMETHING DOESN'T WORK THAT WE PUT IT INTO THAT NATIONAL CODE SITTING IN THE LOCAL CODE. IT'S A NATIONAL COVID. IF, IF THE NATIONAL STANDARD IS IT WHATEVER DOESN'T WORK, DOESN'T WORK AND WE TAKE IT OUT, THEN AT LEAST WHEN IT'S REBUILT, WE CAN HAVE SOME ASSURANCE THAT IT'S, UM, THE STUDY IS AS FOR BUILDING MATERIALS. SO THERE'S THAT ONE, UM, SCROLL ON DOWN. IF YOU WOULD, NOW HERE, THE MORE PROBLEMATIC AS FAR AS, UM, QUANTIFYING OR CONCERN WITH THE BUILDING MATERIAL, BECAUSE SOME OF THAT GOES INTO THE SETTING AND I'VE COME UP WITH THE EXAMPLE OF THE SPITE HOME. AND THERE'S AN ACTUAL REAL WORLD [00:15:01] PICTURE OF SUCH A THING. IT'S A BUILDING, UM, A VERY SQUARE OF BLOCK BILLING. I DON'T HAVE THE PHOTO HERE, BUT WE COULD INSERT IT. IT'S A, A SQUARE SQUAT. UM, A BUILDING MADE OUT OF CORRUGATED SHEET METAL, THE WHOLE HOUSE. AND IF YOU CAN IMAGINE SUCH A THING BEING DROPPED INTO YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU CAN IMAGINE THE CALL YOU'RE GOING TO GET FROM YOUR CONSTITUENT. WHEN THAT HAPPENS RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE TO SAY, HEY, CAN'T HELP YOU. UM, AND THE LEGISLATURE TAKING THAT AUTHORITY AWAY FROM US AND PEOPLE DON'T LIKE THAT ANSWER, I CAN TELL YOU THAT THEY THINK THAT WE'RE JUST, UM, PASSING THE BUCK SOMEONE ELSE, BUT IT'S TRUE. WE, WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO CONTROL IT. UM, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, CARLIN'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT BECAUSE WE'RE BUILT OUT. UH, MOST OF OUR BUILDING WAS DONE IN 68 AND 72 GOES BACK TO THE FORTIES AND FIFTIES, EVEN BEFORE YOU FOUND THIS NEW TOOL, WHICH YOU FIND IN A LOT OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS, THAT'S, UH, DEED RESTRICTIONS AND HOS, AND, AND THOSE DEED RESTRICTIONS ARE PAGES AND PAGES AND PAGES, AND MUCH MORE DETAILED THAN OUR BUILDING CODES THAT SAY, UH, HOW MUCH MASONRY YOU HAVE TO HAVE AND WHAT KIND OF MAKES RAIN, ALL THAT SORT OF THING. AND THAT'S REALLY A CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT AMONGST THE HOMEOWNERS WITHIN THAT DEVELOPMENT. YOU DON'T SEE A LOT OF THAT IN CARLIN THAT WE WERE BUILT BACK WHEN, UH, DADE RESTRICTION OR VERY PERFUNCTORY, UM, DIDN'T SAY MUCH ABOUT, UH, HOW THE HOUSE WAS SUPPOSED TO LOOK. UM, IT WAS MAYBE WHAT SIZE AND, AND, UM, WHERE IT COULD BE PLACED ON THE LAWN, BUT IT DIDN'T GO MUCH INTO BUILDING MATERIALS. SO WE DON'T HAVE THAT CONTROL PRESENT IN GARLAND AND WINNERS, UH, IN PARTICULAR RECONSTRUCTION OR REMODELING, UM, ESPECIALLY ON THE OUTSIDE WHO CARES ABOUT THE INSIDE, BUT ON THE OUTSIDE, UH, WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER HOW THAT HOUSE IS GOING TO BE RECONSTRUCTED. SO IF YOU'RE SCREWED, EXCUSE ME, SCROLL DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE. HERE'S AN AMENDMENT HERE, MY STRIKE TO SHOW UP. UM, SOME OF THOSE CAME FROM A SUGGESTION BY JIM OLD, BUT I'M NOT BLAMING HIM FOR THIS, THIS MOM, OR, UM, SO AFTER A PUBLIC HEARING, WE COULD AMEND A BUILDING CODE OR SOME OTHER RULE TO, UH, AND THIS WAS THE WORDS IN THE ORIGINAL STATUTE, AS IT IS NOW TO CONFORM TO LOCAL CONCERNS THAT HERE'S THE PROBLEM WITH, UM, UH, THIS PROVISION AS STANDS NOW. AND, AND, UH, THE ORIGINAL WORDS HAD BEEN DELETED HERE THAT, UH, AS IT STANDS NOW IS SECTION 3002 B SAYS, UM, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING. IT WAS KIND OF A PROMISE THAT THERE'D BE SOME LOCAL CONTROL OR OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL CONTROL, IF IT DOES NOT CONFLICT WITH SUBSECTION A, BUT I CAN TELL YOU, AS I SAY, OVER AND OVER, OR HAD HEARD IT 20 TIMES TODAY, WORDS MATTER, AND THE WAY THAT, UH, SUB SANCTIONED B IS CURRENTLY PHRASED, AND IT'S MEANINGLESS, IT DOESN'T GIVE US ANY KIND OF RELIEF BECAUSE THERE'S NO WAY TO DO ANY OF THAT TO MAKE THESE AMENDMENTS WITHOUT CONFLICTING WITH SUBSECTION A, BECAUSE SUBSECTION A IS SO INCLUSIVE, IT DOESN'T ALLOW A ROOM FOR CHANGES THAT DO NOT CONFLICT WITH IT. AND SO I'VE, I'VE CHANGED THIS FROM A DO NOT CONFLICT TO A, UH, CONFORM TO LOCAL CONCERNS. AND MY LANGUAGE DIDN'T SHOW UP HERE, WE'LL GET YOU THE, THE VIRGIN, IT CHANGES, UH, THIS SWITCH, THIS DEFAULT TO SO LONG AS IT, UM, UH, COINCIDE WITH OR CONFORMED WITH, OR, UM, HAVE TAKEN OUT THAT DOES NOT COMPLETE THE EXACT WORDING DOESN'T MATTER, BUT WE'LL WANT TO SUGGEST SOMETHING THAT'S MORE MEANINGFUL THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN, IN THE PRESENT LAW. SO, UH, COMMITTEE, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A ONE PAGER AND IN PARTICULAR WITH THE BUILDING MATERIALS, UM, AGAIN, WE HAVEN'T PRESENTED THIS TO ANYBODY AND BEEN SAID TO ANY LEGISLATOR. WE HAVE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ALREADY, TOO WITH STAFF. WE HAVE ONE WAS TO READ A BOWERS DIRECTLY TODAY, BUT MOST OF THESE ARE, ARE WITH OUR BACKGROUND STAFF, CHIEF OF STAFF OR WHOEVER, UH, UH, IN CHARGE OF TALKING TO US. [00:20:01] AND WE EXPRESSED OUR CONCERN. WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS FOLLOW UP WITH THESE ONE-PAGERS TO, TO PUT IN A MORE FORMAL SENSE WHAT OUR CONCERNS ARE AND HOW WE PROPOSE TO FIX IT. SO I'LL STOP THERE AND, AND ADDRESS YOUR QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY, ALL RIGHT, GUYS, GO AHEAD AND JUST PUNCH IN AND START TALKING. EXCUSE ME. I THINK IT LOOKS PRETTY GOOD, BRAD, UH, IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH, I PROBABLY WOULDN'T NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ANTI-COLONIAL GOVERNMENT, PHIL, NOT TO BE OBSEQUIOUS WITH THESE FOLKS, BUT PROBABLY MORE ALONG THE LINES OF, YOU KNOW, IN THE, UM, IN THE, UH, IN THE, IN THE LEGISLATURE'S NEARLY INFINITE WISDOM PASSED THIS BILL. HOWEVER, IN THAT VERY TINY BLIND SPOT, THAT WHERE YOU LACKED THAT INFINITE WISDOM, YOU KIND OF SCREWED UP THESE PARTS OF IT THAT ARE TOTALLY MAKING IT DIFFICULT FOR US TO ACHIEVE YOUR VISION. AND I APPRECIATE THAT, YOU KNOW, HOW IT WORKS. I HAVE NO PRIDE IN AUTHORSHIP, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TO BALANCE AND GET MORE EYES ON IT, MORE THOUGHTS IN IT. UM, ONE OF THE THEMES THAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO PRESENT AND CARRY THROUGH OUR DISCUSSIONS AND WHAT WE'LL DO, UH, IN THESE ONE-PAGERS AND WHATNOT IS THE SENSE THAT WE STILL NEED TO HAVE A LOCAL VOICE, NOT PUSHING THE LOCAL CONTROL IN TML. AND SOME OF THE OTHER ENTITIES THAT FOUND IT JUST SAYING LOCAL CONTROL, RESOUND, ALL THAT WELL WITH A CARD CITIZEN. BUT WHEN WE SAY LOCAL CHOICE, EH, WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS STILL HAVING A LOCAL VOICE. AND THIS GOES INTO THE WHOLE TAXPAYER FUNDED, UM, LOBBYISTS ISSUE. UM, AND ALL ALONG, WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SAY IN PARTICULAR FOR GARLAND IS, YOU KNOW, THERE'S ONE SIZE FITS ALL. LEGISLATION HAS CONSEQUENCES THAT GO FAR BEYOND THE TARGET OF THAT BILL, BECAUSE I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THESE BILLS HAVE A TARGET. THEY WERE FILED FOR A REASON. AND, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE WAS A PARTICULAR TARGET, UH, OF, UH, THE BUILDING MATERIALS BILL. UH, I SUSPECT IT WAS HOUSTON, EVEN THOUGH HOUSTON DISCLAIMED ADDING, UM, UH, UM, ZONING. IT'S STILL THE ZONING OUT OF A QUAYSIDE ZONING, BUT I THINK THE TARGET OF THIS BILL IS HOUSTON. AND, UH, BEHIND IT WAS THE BUILDING ASSOCIATION. IT'S, IT'S EASIER WHEN I HAVE A FREE HAND IN BUILDING SOMETHING, UH, THEY CAN BUILD A CHEAPER, THE THING IS THEY CAN SELL IT AND WALK AWAY AND THEY DON'T HAVE PROBLEM WITH IT. RIGHT. AND W W YOU KNOW, THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL AS TO GARLAND HERE, IT CREATES PARTICULAR PROBLEM. WHAT WAS GARLAND? WELL, WE DON'T HAVE DEED RESTRICTIONS AND THAT SORT OF THING IN PLACE TO, TO HELP US. UM, AND SO I'VE BEEN TRYING TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A VOICE WORDS MATTER, WILL SUGGEST WORDS. UH, WE'RE NOT JUST COMPLAINER'S. UM, BUT IF YOU EXCLUDE US FROM THE PROCESS OF CREATING LEGISLATION, YOU END UP WITH BILLS LIKE THIS, AND THIS IS A BAD BILL. WE KNEW IT WAS A BAD, UM, THE, THE LITTLE EXCEPTION THAT SUBSECTION B THAT WE JUST WENT THROUGH THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SOMETHING THROWN TO US AS, AS A SAVING PROVISION, BUT IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. NO, NO, I AGREE. I AGREE WITH YOUR ANALYSIS. I THINK HER ANALYSIS IS SPOT ON PARTICULARLY TO THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO GARLAND. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, W WE'RE A CITY THAT WE HA WE HAD TO ENACT AN ORDINANCE THAT SAID THAT YOUR HOUSE HAS TO BE PAINTED BASICALLY ONE COLOR, BECAUSE WHEN YOU TOLD PEOPLE THAT THEY HAD TO PAY THAT THEIR HOUSE HAD TO BE PAINTED OR WHATEVER, THEY WENT OUT AND BOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER THE LEFTOVER PAINT WAS AT HOME DEPOT. AND SO YOU HAD HOUSES THAT WERE A PATCHWORK NOW, NOT THAT IT'S IMPROVED A LOT, THEY JUST MIX ALL THE COLORS TOGETHER AND THEY'RE ALL BROWN OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, BUT, BUT AT LEAST IT'S ONE. AND, AND SO THE, THE, I THINK YOU'RE SPOT ON THAT. THE PROBLEM HERE IS, IS THIS KIND OF, IT'S NOT EVEN THE INFILL WITH THE AD-ONS, IT'S THE REMODELS IT'S, I MEAN, YOU GO THROUGH SOME OF MY NEIGHBORHOODS AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW DID THEY, HOW DID THEY BUILD THAT? OR, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THERE'S SOME STUFF THAT I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, IT'S, YOU KNOW, [00:25:01] I GET ROOF LINES THAT GO LIKE THIS AND, AND OTHER THINGS AND OTHER CRAZY STUFF, AND IT'S BAD ENOUGH AS IT IS WITHOUT SOMEBODY, YOU KNOW, DECIDING THEY'RE GOING TO BUILD IT WITH SOME CRAZY MATERIALS OR SOMETHING, JUST AS YOU SAY, JUST FOR SPITE. AND I HAVE FAMILY MEMBERS WHO WOULD TOTALLY BUILD AND HAVE BUILT SPITE STRUCTURES. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, OH, YOU DON'T LIKE MY FENCE. WAIT TILL I BAIT, WAIT TILL I BUILD ONE IN THE SHAPE OF A MIDDLE FINGER FACING YOUR HOUSE, OR, UM, WELL, THE GUY I KNOW UP IN RICHARDSON WHO, WHEN THEY HAD A DEED RESTRICTION, WHEN THERE WAS A DEED RESTRICTION ABOUT THAT YOUR FENCE HAD TO BE CEDAR RED, AND HE DIDN'T LIKE THAT. AND HE JUST PUT LIKE A, UH, A NATURAL TAN COLOR FENCE UP AND THEY WENT TOTALLY AFTER HIM ON IT. THEY'RE LIKE, NO, LOOK AT YOUR DEED, LOOK AT YOUR DEED. IT HAS TO BE RED CEDAR FENCE. AND SO HE ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE DEED DETERMINED THAT IT DID NOT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT HOW THE HOUSE ITSELF WAS PAINTED. SO HE PAINTED THE FENCE RED IN THE HOUSE CAMOUFLAGE. AND, YOU KNOW, IN SOME OF THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE GOING TO GET THAT RIGHT. AND IT'S ANNOYING. I DON'T KNOW IF WE CAN ADDRESS IT IN THIS BILL. UH, THE SAME I WAS TRYING TO HIT ON, ON A SECOND CARD, UH, THIS, UM, TALKING PIECE WAS GIVE US SOME ABILITY TO PROVIDE CONSISTENCY WITHIN A NEIGHBORHOOD. IF IT'S ALL CLAPBOARD HOUSE, WE'RE NOT SAYING THAT YOU HAVE TO PUT UP MASONRY OR STONE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. BUT IF YOU HAVE A BRICK NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, IS IT RIGHT TO, AND SOMETIMES IT HAS HAPPENED IN DOOM WAS TELLING ME THAT IT'S THE FOUNDATION PROBLEMS. SOMETIMES THE MASONRY SLIPS OFF. AND, AND IF YOU COULD GO IN AND STRIP OFF THE MASONRY IN AN OTHERWISE ALL BRICK NEIGHBORHOOD AND CLAD IT WITH CORRUGATED STEEL, WELL, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE COMPLAINTS. AND I APPRECIATE THOSE COMPLAINTS. I WOULDN'T LIKE IT EITHER AS A HOMEOWNER LIVING NEXT TO IT. UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T CONTROL EVERYTHING THEY DO, BUT AT LEAST GIVE US SOME MEASURE OF, UM, REQUIRING CONSISTENCY OF HOW THAT HOUSE LOOKS WITH THE REST OF THE MEMBERSHIP. SO I, AND AGAIN, I'M, I'M OPEN, I'M SOFT ON IT. I DON'T THINK I FOUND THE PERFECT SOLUTION HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRY TO SHOP AROUND. IF WE FIND THE BILL THAT WILL PROVIDE US THE VEHICLE TO GET THIS STANDARD, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UM, THERE ARE GOING TO BE SEVERAL FILES AND PERHAPS EVEN OUR OWN REPRESENTATIVE BUTTON. UM, BUT EVERYBODY WE'VE TALKED TO SO FAR AND THEY SEEM TO BE RECEPTIVE OF OUR CONCERNS AT LEAST. GREAT. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, UH, BRAD, UH, FIRST THING IS, UH, THE DEFINITION OF BUILDING MATERIALS WHERE HE C AND P GOING. UM, WHAT DO YOU SEE THAT GOING BASED ON? I LIKE TO DRAFT THE LANGUAGE, BUT WHAT DO YOU SEE THIS DOING AS FORCED THE DEFINITION? AND I GIVE YOU A CASE IN POINT IS PAINT CONSIDERED BUILDING MATERIAL. UM, I'VE GOT, UH, GOT IT. UH, A GENTLEMAN I'M NOT GOING TO NAME THE CITY AS POOR AND WHO IS IN THE MIDST OF SOMETHING NOW HE'S, HE'S HE'S LIVES IN A HOA AND HE GOT PERMIT TO DO SOME CHANGES. SOME EXTERIOR CHANGES. HE GOT PERMITTED BY THE, BY THE CITY THAT HE LIVES IN, BUT BECAUSE OF RESTRICTIONS BY THE HOA, THEY'RE AN ADULT FIGHT. NOW THEY'RE SAYING HE CAN'T DO IT. THE CITY SAYS HE CAN DO IT. AND THE DOUBT FIGHT SEEMS TO BE OVER, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE POINTS IS BILL AND MATERIALS. SO ANY THOUGHTS ON THAT ONE? WHAT IS THIS? WHERE'S THAT DEFINITION AS IT EVOLVED HERE, WHAT'S, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THAT DEFINITION OF BUILDING MATERIALS. IF, IF I DECIDE TO USING, UH, WHICH IS EXAMPLE, AND I WON'T PUT ONE SIDE OF MY HOUSE PURPLE AND THEN THE OTHER SIDE GO, UM, IS AN AL I'M DOING HE'S PAINTING IT. SO CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHERE YOU THINK OR TOUCH, SPEAK TO WHERE YOU THINK THAT THAT DEFINITION IS GOING AS IT EVOLVES? I DON'T THINK THIS BILL'S GOING TO HELP US IN THAT REGARD. UM, WE, AS FAR AS A BUILDING MATERIAL [00:30:01] PAINT IS A WEATHERPROOFING. UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T REGULATE COLORS, DEED RESTRICTIONS TOO, OFTENTIMES AGAIN, A TRIP OF CONSISTENCY WITHIN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AFFECTED BY THOSE D RESTRICTIONS, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, PAINT FOR OUR PURPOSES. UH, IF YOU PUT UP SOMETHING, SAY YOU REPLACE YOUR SOFFITS ON YOUR HOUSE, THEY HAVE TO BE PAINTED OR OTHERWISE WEATHERPROOFED. AND THAT'S WHAT WE LOOK FOR. AND THERE ARE STANDARDS THAT GOVERN, YOU KNOW, THE QUALITY OF WEATHERPROOFING, WHETHER IT'S A PAINT OR SOMETHING ELSE, BUT THEY DON'T, I DON'T KNOW ANY CITY THAT IS SUCCESSFULLY, UM, IRREGULATED COLOR SCHEME. I KNOW THAT TRIED. UM, BUT WE, WE DON'T GO ONLINE. UM, YOU KNOW, MUCH TO THE CONCERN OF SOME PEOPLE SOMETIMES, BUT IT'S THANKFULLY A VERY RARE, RARE CIRCUMSTANCES. SOMEBODY WANTS TO PAINT THE HOUSE THAT PEPTO BISMOL PINK OFFER THAT AS A REAL WORLD EXAMPLE, CAUSE DOWN IN AUSTIN DOWN, UH, AND PAINTED HIS ENTIRE HOUSE ROOF INCLUDED PEPTO-BISMOL PINK. UM, DESPITE EVERYONE THAT THERE'S NOTHING THAT STOPS HIM FROM GOING TO THEM. AND, UH, I DON'T, I DON'T FORESEE SOMETHING LIKE THAT COMING ALONG, NOT INCLUDED IN THIS BILL. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. AND MY NEXT QUESTION, THE LAST ONE, JUST, JUST, UM, ASKING SORT OF A HISTORICAL BACKGROUND QUESTION, DO YOU, AND TO PERHAPS AFTER HALF OF THE LOOP FOR A WHILE, WHAT'S KIND OF HAVE MADE A LOT OF STUFF ON MINE AND PAPERS, A LOT OF OPINIONS ON WHAT'S THE CATALYST BEHIND THIS, BUT CAN YOU GUYS BRIEFLY SUMMARIZE WHAT'S THE CATALYST BEHIND THIS PARTICULAR PIECE? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THERE'S A LOT OF STUFF OUT THERE AND, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE HAD TO, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE, OH, SHOULD I BURIED THE WATER? YOU DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AFRAID TO TAKE A, DRINK, A DRINK BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT CUPS GOING. PAUSE. AND YOU, SO CAN YOU GUYS TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? WHAT'S WHAT'S WHAT, WHAT'S THE CATALYST BEHIND CATALYST AS FAR AS GETTING THESE CHANGES MADE? NO, YEAH. BEHIND WHAT'S THE LEGISLATOR AT CATALYST BEHIND THIS TY WHO'S, YOU KNOW, THE WHY, I GUESS IF YOU WANT, I'M ASKING WHY THIS, WHY IS THIS BEING PUSHED? IS THERE A, IS THAT A CONSTITUENCY GROUP? IS THERE, ARE THERE SOME INDIVIDUALS I'VE HEARD ALL KINDS OF STORIES? SO IT'S A HOME BUILDERS. I MEAN, MULTIPLE PEOPLE, THE HOME BUILDERS ARE LIKE, WE WANT TO BUILD HOUSES CHEAPER IN THE CITIES. WON'T LET US THE CHEAP, THE CITIES ARE THE HOLDUP. AND THAT'S WHAT I TELL WHAT WAS IN THE WATER AND HAS BEEN FOR SEVERAL SESSIONS TO GO AFTER CITY. SO THE HOME BUILDERS ARE LIKE, ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. LET'S, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S GO AFTER THE CITIES. LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. IT'S VERY MAINTENANCE. I HATE TO BE THAT SIMPLE, BUT IT'S PRETTY MUCH IT'S HOME BUILDERS ARE TIRED OF THE CITIES TELLING THEM WHAT TO DO. ONE SECOND REAL QUICK. UH KENTZ MEMORIAMS UH, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL KNOW THE, UH, THIS PARTICULAR BILL HAS ALREADY PASSED LAST SESSION AND WE'RE TRYING TO AMEND IT MOVING FORWARD THIS SESSION. SO IT IS ALREADY IN PLAY. GOT IT. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I KNOW. I'M JUST, UH, JUST WANTING TO GET A LITTLE HYSTERICAL, LIKE BEING OUT OF THE LOOP. I JUST WANTED TO, AND I THINK TY FOR HE VALIDATED SOME STUFF TOO, THAT I HAD, I LOOKED AT. SO THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND HERE'S A REALITY CHECK. UM, THE AUTHOR IS A BILL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO AMEND IS NOW. YEAH, I KNOW. YEAH. THERE'S A, UH, THERE'S A VERY STRONG LIBERTARIAN INFLUENCE ON THE LEADERSHIP IN TEXAS. UH, AND THAT CAME UP THROUGH THE TEA PARTY SIDE BACK FROM OH SIX TO PROBABLY 2014 WHEN IT WAS, IT WAS VERY ACTIVE. UH, AND ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE FOUND IS THAT IF YOU, IF YOU GO THROUGH AND YOU SAY, YES, OKAY, YOU ARE, YOU ARE ALLOWING PEOPLE THEIR, THEIR PROPERTY RIGHTS AND THEY'RE BEING ALLOWED TO DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. UH, BUT GUESS WHAT, THE GUY NEXT DOOR, WHO'S ALSO INVESTED IN THEIR PROPERTY, YOU'RE HURTING HIM. AND SO THIS IS ONE OF THOSE EXAMPLES OF WHERE ONE PERSON'S RIGHTS ENDS, THE NEXT PERSON'S BEGINS, THAT SORT OF THING. AND I FOUND THAT I'VE GAINED SOME TRACTION WHEN I POINT OUT THOSE, THOSE ERRORS IN THE PHILOSOPHY THAT'S BACKING A LOT OF THESE BILLS. SO YES, YOU CAN ALLOW THE GUY TO PUT UP THE CORRUGATED 10, UH, BUT YOU'RE CAUSING FINANCIAL HARM TO THE PERSON NEXT DOOR THAT THOUGHT THEY WERE INVESTING IN A BRICK NEIGHBORHOOD. UH [00:35:01] IT'S UH, I FIND IT EASY TO MAKE THAT ARGUMENT WITH A LOT OF THESE LEGISLATORS, ESPECIALLY IN THE SENATE SIDE. AND, UH, I'VE FOUND THAT I'VE GAINED SOME TRACTION THERE. NOW, WHETHER THAT TRANSLATES INTO ACTUAL LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS OR VICTORY DON'T KNOW, BUT, UH, AT LEAST YOU CAN, YOU CAN GET YOUR FOOT IN THE DOOR THAT WAY AND AT LEAST HAVE THE DISCUSSION, RIGHT? SO, UH, I FOUND THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT, I, WHEN I GO TO MAKE THE LEGISLATIVE ARGUMENT, I STUDIED THE LEGISLATOR THEMSELVES, FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS THAT'S MOTIVATING THEM AND SPEAK IN THEIR LANGUAGE SO THAT YOU CAN, YOU CAN MAKE SOME PROGRESS AND HAVE THE DISCUSSION THAT MAY A POTENTIAL AVENUE HERE. UH, JUST TO TALK REAL QUICK ABOUT SOME MORE PRAGMATIC TYPE OF STEPS FORWARD. MY THOUGHT WAS WE COULD GET A FOLDER SET UP IN BOX FOR THESE ONE-PAGERS, UM, LET'S GET A, UH, A FORMAT FOR THE FILE NAMES, SAY, YOU KNOW, HB OR SB, WHATEVER THIS IS THE TOPIC. AND THEN, UM, WHO, WHICH ONE OF US AUTHORED THAT PARTICULAR ONE PAGER, PUT IT UP THERE IN A WORD DOC FORMAT. THAT WAY THE REST OF US CAN JUMP IN AND COMMENT AND RED LINE AND ALL THAT GOOD STUFF, UH, PUT IN OUR, OUR EDITS, UH, THAT WE'D LIKE TO SEE AND THEN FORMALIZE THEM, IS THAT THE CABINETS, ILLEGAL BREAD, UM, A COUPLE OF THINGS, UH, THIS PARTICULAR ONE PAGER IT'S, IT'S NOT UPENDED TO AN ACTUAL BILL. UM, AS FAR AS I KNOW, NOBODY'S FOLLOWED ANYTHING AND, AND THE STRATEGY HERE WAS TO PIGGYBACK, UH, SOMEBODY WILL FILE SOMETHING AND WE'LL PIGGYBACK ON THAT AND TRY TO GET OUR BOYS HEARD AS FAR AS WHAT WE THINK, UH, AMENDMENTS TO THAT, UM, LEGISLATION SHOULD BE. UH, AND THEN, UH, AS FAR AS, AS FILE NAMES, I FOLLOW YOU AND, AND WE'LL PUT THEM IN A WORD. I DIDN'T HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT TODAY. THE FIRST ONE, UM, SOME OF THESE WILL BE UPENDED TO ACTUAL BILLS, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT WE ACTIVELY PURSUE A BILL. WELL, LET'S SAY THE, UH, MILITARY VETERANS PREFERENCE, WE HAVE LEGISLATION, UM, WE'LL, WE'LL DO A ONE-PAGER ON THAT, BUT WE'LL ALSO HAVE THE ACTUAL BILL THAT WE PREPARED AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO LOOK AT THE WHOLE PACKET, UH, OF WHAT IT IS. DOES THAT SOUND RIGHT? OKAY. MY THOUGHT WAS, WE, WE WOULDN'T HAVE AN ONGOING DISCUSSION OFFLINE, UH, BUT YOU, YOU GRAB YOUR COPY OF WHAT HE'S WRITTEN, DO YOUR RED LINES, GET IT SUBMITTED TO HIM. WE BRING IT BACK HERE IN A PUBLIC MEETING, DISCUSS OUR EDITS, UH, AND FINALIZED BASED OFF OF THAT. WOULD THAT ADDRESS YOUR CONCERN RICH? BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. YEAH. MY CONCERN IS THAT IF WE'RE A GROUP EDITING A DOCUMENT AND, AND I MEAN, WHEN IT'S JUST THREE OF US OR SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE OKAY, BUT IF IT'S OPEN TO EVERYONE ON COUNCIL, THE, IF A BOX RIGHT DIRECTLY IS OPEN EVERYONE ON COUNCIL, THEN YOU HAVE A SITUATION WHERE YOU COULD HAVE A VIOLATION OF THE OPEN MEETINGS ACT BY COMMUNICATING. AND HERE'S THE, YEAH. AND THAT'S A GOOD POINT. ANY OF THOSE COMMENTS SHOULD BE DIRECTED BACK AT STAFF. UM, RIGHT. I'M JUST SAYING THAT, THAT IT'S DIFFICULT FOR US TO HAVE, I MEAN, IN A PERFECT WORLD, IN A BUSINESS WORLD, WE WOULD HAVE A COLLABORATIVE DOCUMENT WHERE THERE'S ONE COPY OF IT THAT WE ALL EDIT AND WE SEE EVERYBODY'S COMMENTS. AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE FINE. I, UNDER THE LAW, IF IT WAS JUST THE THREE OF, YOU KNOW, IF IT WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CHAIR AND THE TWO MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, OR IF WE HAD THAT BULLET AND BOARD IN PLACE AND YOU COULD JUST UPLOAD IT TO THE BOARD AND BOARD, BUT YOU KNOW, NOT TO BEAT THAT HORSE. UM, I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE STAY IN THE WELL, HERE'S THE REALITY TOO. UM, WE ARE ASSUMING, GOING TO LOSE THE LUXURY OF TAKING OUR TIME ON THESE. I MEAN, THAT'S JUST THE REALITY WHEN WITHIN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, TY CAN TELL IT BETTER, BUT IT'S REALLY GOING TO START UP AND THINGS START MOVING REAL, REAL FAST. AND SO I'LL HAVE SUGGESTIONS, UH, SEND THEM ON. WE DON'T, WE WON'T HAVE THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT IN THIS COMMITTEE. WE'RE GOING TO PUSH THE DOCUMENTS OUT, UH, TRY TO UPLOAD THOSE. EVERYBODY CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT SOMETIMES WE AS STAFF, WE'RE GOING TO JUMP OUT THERE AND COMMIT TO THINGS AND DO THESE ONE PAGERS. AND IF WE CAN GET YOUR INPUTS, THAT'S GREAT, BUT IT'S NOT GOING TO BE THAT WAY EVERY TIME. I MEAN, MY HOPE IS THAT IS THAT YOU'LL HAVE ENOUGH DIRECTION FROM COUNCIL WHERE WHEN YOU GUYS KNOW, YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE THE, WHERE THE LANDMINES ARE AND WHEN THOSE START POPPING UP, YOU'LL KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO ON THINGS. I MEAN, IT, BUT IT IS IT'S, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF CONTROLLED TERROR, RIGHT? BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW [00:40:01] SOME BILL THAT YOU DIDN'T THINK WAS A PROBLEM, ALL OF A SUDDEN BECOMES A PROBLEM, UM, YOU KNOW, OUT OF THE BLUE AND THEN YOU FIND OUT, YOU KNOW, THEN YOU GET A CALL FROM THAI. IT'S LIKE, WELL, THEY'RE HAVING HEARING IN 15 MINUTES ON THIS. SO WE WANT TO SAY SOMETHING THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY WANT TO I'M FINN. AND, AND SO I TOTALLY GET THAT. TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT. I THINK THAT WE'VE GOTTA BE PREPARED TO, TO MOVE ON THAT. I MEAN, JUST LOOKING AT THE LIST OF STUFF THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT, THAT BRIAN BRADFORD SENT AROUND EARLIER TODAY, AND IT'S LIKE, YOU KNOW, YEAH, IT'S JUST CONTROLLED TERROR. IT'S LIKE, OH, HERE ARE 10 BILLS THAT COULD COMPLETELY CHANGE NOW THAT MAYBE THAT NONE OF THEM GO ANYWHERE. AND, YOU KNOW, I, THAT'S WHY I TRUST. I TRUST YOU GUYS TO, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE SOME OF THESE BILLS, IT'S LIKE, WHY WASTE YOUR BREATH ON SOMETHING NEW WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IF IT'S GOING TO GO ANYWHERE, YOU HAVE LIMITED RESOURCES AND YOU WANT TO DEPLOY THEM AS, AS EFFECTIVELY, IF YOU CAN, BUT THEN YOU ALSO DON'T WANT TO GET CAUGHT FLAT FOOTED ON ALL OF A SUDDEN FINDING OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO FREEZE THE SR YOU KNOW, THE FREE SENIOR TAXES ACROSS THE WHOLE STATE. I MEAN, THAT'D BE A, THAT'D BE A DISASTER. COMBINE THAT WITH THE, THE CAPS, THAT'D BE A DISASTER OF EPIC, EPIC PROPORTIONS FOR EVERY TAXING ENTITY IN THE STATE, EXCEPT PROBABLY THE LEGISLATURE, BECAUSE IT FINDS SOME WAY TO EXEMPT THEMSELVES FROM IT. UM, MR. CHAIRMAN, UH, WITH, WITH YOUR LEAVE, THIS IS ACTUALLY A GOOD SEGUE INTO SOMETHING ELSE WE WERE GOING TO PRESENT TODAY. UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, THE WAY THAT WE TRACK LEGISLATION AND YOU'LL GET A SENSE FROM, UH, IF LAURA, IF YOU CAN PULL UP THAT BILL TRACK AND SHARE YOUR SCREEN, WHAT SHE'S GOING TO SHOW YOU. THIS IS AN OLD ONE. THIS IS FROM THE LAST SESSION IT'S HB TWO. YEP. SO, UH, TY AND HIS FOLKS PUT THESE THINGS TOGETHER AND THEN WE, WE CAN, UH, GET INTO TELECON AND MANIPULATE. THOSE TIE, GIVES US A VERY BROAD OVERVIEW OF THINGS THAT HE THINKS, UH, COULD BE OF INTEREST TO GARLAND. AND THEN WE TRY TO PAIR THEM DOWN FROM THERE. NOW THIS IS, UH, COULD YOU GO BACK UP? UM, SO THIS BILL STATUS REPORT KIND OF GIVES US TRAFFIC SIGNALS OF THINGS THAT IF WE'VE INCLUDED IT ON OUR BILL STATUS REPORT, UH, WE GET THIS LITTLE REPORT AND YOU CAN SAY THAT THE TWO GREEN DOTS EVERYDAY, THIS IS HB TWO, UM, UH, THE COMPANION, UH, THE INFAMOUS SB TWO. AND YOU CAN SEE UP THERE THAT LITTLE CHARTS THAT REFERRED TO COMMITTEE, WELL, THAT'S THE FIRST BIG STEP CAUSE PEOPLE FILE BUILDS AND, AND FITTING ON HOW THINGS WORK. I DON'T KNOW, TIGHTER. THEY DO THAT ALWAYS REFER ALL BILLS TO COMMITTEE OR SOME OF THEM JUST DIE AND NEVER GET REFERRED. NO, THEY REFER, THEY REFER EVERY BILL TO A COMMITTEE. UM, AND ONE OF THE CHOKE, I MEAN, AND THEN IT'S UP TO THE CHAIRMAN TO SET BILLS FOR HEARING. AND THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S REALLY A BIG WAY THEY KILL BILLS IS NOT A BILL GETS SENT TO THE COMMITTEE AND NEVER NOTHING EVER HAPPENS TO THE COMMITTEE. CHAIRMAN NEVER DOES ANYTHING WITH IT. SO YOU'LL SEE, UH, UH, ONE GREEN DOT ON THIS. AND IF YOU DON'T GO TO TWO GREEN DOTS THAT IT'S JUST DEAD, BUT HERE'S THE TRICK TOO. YOU NEVER KNOW, BECAUSE TOWARDS A MIDDLE OF THE SESSION, ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU'RE GETTING, YOU'RE FILLING UP THESE GREEN DOTS AND THAT BILL IS MOVING. AND, UM, IF YOU EVER WANT TO FIND AND SEE THE, UH, THE WORST EXAMPLE OF COMPLYING WITH, UH, OPEN RECORDS AND TRANSPARENCY, IT WOULD BE IN AUSTIN DURING LEGISLATIVE SESSION, BECAUSE THINGS ARE GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND THAT WE ARE NOT PRIVY TO. WE'LL NEVER KNOW. AND, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN A BILL THAT LOOKS DEAD OR IS LAYING FALLOW, UM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM. IT'S MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS, YOU KNOW, HOLY COW, HOW DO I, HOW DO I GET INSERT OUR CONCERNS INTO THIS PROCESS? NOW, THE OTHER THING, OR THAT THE BIGGER PROBLEM IS THEN BILLS. UM, BECAUSE WE, WE COULD PUT BILL ON THIS BILL TRACKER REPORT. AND OF COURSE A LOT OF THEM, THEY, THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH CITIES OR, OR GARLAND IN PARTICULAR. AND SO THE, THE POINT WHERE WE ARE NOW IS CREATING A BILL REPORT THAT IS RATHER INCLUSIVE, UM, UH, OF THINGS THAT COULD INTEREST US. AND ALSO BEAR IN MIND THAT THIS BILL REPORT IS KIND OF NEVER ENDING BECAUSE BILLS GET FILED UP UNTIL WHAT IN [00:45:01] APRIL. I CAN'T REMEMBER, UH, THE BILLS THERE'S MARCH 12TH IS THE DEADLINE FOR BILLS OF GENERAL APPLICATION. ANYTHING THAT AMEND THAT, THAT AFFECTS EVERYBODY. UM, IF YOU CAN FILE SOME LOCAL BILLS AFTER MARCH THE 12TH, BUT THAT'S THE BIG RUSH IS TO GET YOUR BILLS FILED BY MARCH 12TH. SO WE'RE PUTTING TOGETHER THIS, UM, BILL TRACKING REPORT, EVEN AS WE SPEAK, TRYING TO ANALYZE THE BILLS IN PARTICULAR, WHAT WE'VE DONE IS, UM, UH, AND AGAIN, THIS IS EXAMPLE FROM, FROM LAST SESSION. SO W W W AND WE CAN SHARE THESE WITH YOU, BUT, UM, IF YOU HOLD ON JUST A SECOND ONE, SO YOU SEE THE, THE BILL NUMBER AND ON THE LIBRARY, AND YOU COULD GO OVER AND CLICK ON THAT, CLOSE UP THE BILL AS FILED, AND YOU CAN FIND AMENDMENTS AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF. UH, YOU CAN SEE WHO THE AUTHOR OF THE BILL IS. YOU CAN TRACK THROUGH THIS, THAT SPONSORS PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED ON TO, UM, TO SUPPORT THAT BILL. UH, IT'LL ALSO TELL YOU IF THERE'S A COMPANION BILL ON IT, SAY THIS IS A HOUSE BILL HB TWO 81 BY MAZE MILTON. UM, WELL, THERE'S A, TAXPAYER-FUNDED LOBBYING BILL. YOU'LL SEE THIS AGAIN. I THINK IT'S ALREADY BEEN FILED. SO, UM, THIS WOULD TELL YOU WHO THE, WHO THE AUTHOR IS IT'S SPONSOR. AND IT SHOULD, IF, IF IT'S, UH, GOT A COMPANION BILL ON THE OTHER SIDE, ON THE SENATE SIDE, THEY'LL TELL US THAT TOO. THE SIGNAL THAT GOES IS IF THERE'S A COMPANION BILL ON THE SENATE SIDE, IT'S IS THAT THEY'RE GOING TO WORK BOTH SIDES OF THE LEGISLATURE TO ACHIEVE THIS GOAL, TO GET THIS LEGISLATION PASSED. AND WE DO THE SAME THING. YOU TRY TO BRACKET BILL BECAUSE YOU CAN WORK BOTH SIDES. AND WHAT HAPPENS IS, UM, IF THEY, IF THEY WORK THROUGH, AT SOME POINT, YOU CAN SEE THROUGH THE NUMBER OF GREEN DOTS, WHICH ONES MOVE IN, AND MAYBE, MAYBE IN THE SENATE VERSION IS MOVING AND THE HOUSE SIDE IS STALLED. SO WHAT YOU DO IS YOU, YOU, UM, REDIRECT YOUR EFFORTS TO THE SENATE SIDE, TO GET YOUR BILL THROUGH. AND EVENTUALLY THEY'LL MEET UP IN THE MIDDLE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE. UH, TY TALKED ABOUT THAT LAST MEETING, HOW THAT WORKS AND POOF HERE COMES SOMETHING THAT COULD MAKE ITS WAY ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE, UM, UH, PROCESS AND BECOME SOMETHING THAT GOES OVER TO THE GOVERNOR TO BE SIGNED OR NOT SIGNED. SO WENT BACK TO WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON THE SCREEN. UH, IT'S ALL WAY OF TRACKING THAT LEGISLATION. WHAT WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS PUTTING THAT, THAT WAS TOGETHER, UH, AS FAST AS WE CAN, UH, RECOGNIZING THAT NEW BUILDS WERE BEING ADDED EVERY DAY. THE BIG EFFORT HERE IS TO TAKE THIS KIND OF OVERFILL OVERVIEW OF LEGISLATION THAT COULD BE OF AN INTEREST TO GARLAND, AND THEN STRIKING THROUGH, UH, PRIORITIZING DOING SOME KIND OF TRIAGE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WE CAN, UM, WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT TO US AND WHAT WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO IGNORE OR LET OTHERS, UM, TAKE UP AND TRY TO ADDRESS IT MAY NOT BE THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY INTEREST IN IT. UM, BUT IT MAY BE THAT SOME OTHER CITY AS A BETTER HANDLE ON IT OR TML OR SOME, UH, GROUP WITHIN THAT, LIKE BUILDING OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION, UM, WE, WE HAVE TO GO IN AND LOOK AT THESE BILLS TO SEE WHAT THEY REALLY SAY, BECAUSE WORDS MATTER. UM, MIKE BETTS HAS ALREADY PRODUCED A LIST OF, UH, LAW ENFORCEMENT RELATED BILLS. HE'S GOT THROUGH EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE BILLS AND TRIAGED THOSE. SO, UM, UH, THE, UH, THE BILLS, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT, UH, CITY MANAGER IDENTIFIED TODAY, UM, LOOSELY CATEGORY, PUT THOSE INTO A CATEGORY OF UNFUNDED MANDATES IF THEY DON'T ALWAYS FIT IN THERE. BUT IF THERE IS A BILL LIKE AN EXEMPTION BILL, THE TAX EXEMPTION BUILD, IT'S GOING TO AFFECT OUR REVENUES. AND IT'S REALLY AN UNFUNDED MANDATE. IT'S JUST THAT THEY'RE MORE DIRECTLY TAKING THE MONEY AWAY. UM, AND THEN A TRUE UNFUNDED MANDATE, UH, WE'LL TRACK THOSE TO, UH, WE MAY HAVE TO PULL IN SOMEBODY ELSE FROM CITY STAFF TO HELP US MANAGE THAT CATEGORY. AND THEN, UH, UH, BRIAN ENGLAND AND, UH, LAURA AND I ARE GOING TO TRY TO MANAGE THE REST, UM, AFTER WE PRODUCE THIS, UH, WHAT I SUGGEST IS THROWING [00:50:01] IT INTO THE BOX SO THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT TO TRICK THEIR COMMITTEE MEMBERS IS GOING TO BE NOT HAVING SOMETHING UNLESS IT'S SUPER, SUPER IMPORTANT. AND THE GOAL HERE IS TO SHORTEN THIS LIST AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN FOCUS OUR LIMITED EFFORTS ON THOSE THINGS THAT, THAT Y'ALL DECIDED IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TO THE CITY. SO SHORTER IS BETTER. UH, I'D LIKE TO KEEP THIS REALISTICALLY, UH, DOWN TO UNDER A HUNDRED BILLS. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT, BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT, THAT'S A SMALL PORTION. AND REALISTICALLY, YOU'RE ONLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO EFFECTIVELY WORK ABOUT 20 BILLS, AND THAT DOESN'T MEAN WORK TO GET THEM PAST. IT MEANS WORK TO GET THEM KILLED, UM, BECAUSE WE'RE PLAYING MOSTLY DEFENSE. AND, UM, THERE ARE THINGS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS WE'D LIKE TO FIX IN THE LEGISLATURE, UH, WITH EXISTING STATUTES. IT JUST CAN'T DO IT. YOU CAN'T FIX THEM ALL, BUT IF WE CAN ENTER SEX, SOME OF THESE BEFORE THEY BECOME LAW AND GET THEM FIXED, RIGHT. UH, AND SAY SOMETHING MEANINGFUL AND SAY SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T HURT CARLIN, AND IT'S TAXPAYER TO THE RATE PAYERS, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE OKAY, THAT'S OUR FOCUS. I'LL STOP THERE BECAUSE THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD TALKING POINT. ALL RIGHT. QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS. GO AHEAD, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. THANK YOU, MS. CHAIR, UM, REDHEAD. UM, THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THAT. CAN WE TALK PROCESS FOR A MOMENT AS A PART OF THIS TRACKING PROCESS? UM, WHAT CHANGES DO YOU SEE AS FOR ONCE WE GET WHATEVER OUR POSITION IS DOWN TO OUR CONTEXT OR DOWNLOADED TO TIE, CAN YOU BRIEFLY TALK ABOUT WHAT CHANGES DO YOU SEE IT IN THE PROCESS? I KNOW COVID HAS IMPACTED AND SOME OTHER THINGS FOR THIS CURRENT LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SO CAN YOU TALK ABOUT ONCE WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UM, SPECIFIC DEALS ONCE WE HAVE TAKEN A POSITION, AND ONCE WE HAVE IDENTIFIED WHERE OUR INFORMATION OR INFORMATION GOES, CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE ABOUT WHAT THE, WHAT, WHAT THEN IS THE PROCESS INCLUDING, YOU KNOW, THE HEARING PROCESS, BECAUSE WHAT I'VE READ AND SEEN. SO FOR, THAT'S NOT GOING TO LOOK LIKE ANYTHING THAT'S EVER LOOKED IN THE PAST. SO CAN YOU TIE SET OF COMMENT ON, ON PROCESS BRIEFLY PLEASE? YES, SIR. IF I CAN, I THINK I'LL PASS OVER TO TY ON THIS. HE HAS A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT'S GOING ON. UM, STILL DON'T KNOW, UH, WE HEARD TODAY THAT, UH, NEVADA STAFF DOWN IN THE CAPITOL, BUT IT'S STILL KINDA SURROUNDED BY DPS. AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE A LOT OF ELECTED OFFICIALS DOWN THERE, EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE SO FAR IN ZOOM. OH, LET ME PAUSE HERE. AND, AND NOTE TOO, THAT, UH, THE R THE PRESENCE OF THAI RIGHT NOW AS A LUXURY TOO, BECAUSE IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS, HE'S, HE'S GOING TO BE COVERED UP. UH, I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO ATTEND, UH, OUR, OUR MEETINGS. I REALLY APPRECIATE HAVING HIM ON, BECAUSE HE'S SUCH A GREAT RESOURCE TO HOW THINGS ACTUALLY WORKED ON IT. UM, SO W WITH ALL THAT SAID, I'LL PASS OVER TO TY. YES. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER. YEAH. ON THE SENATE SIDE, IT'S A LITTLE CLEAR, CAUSE THEY'RE REQUIRING EVERYBODY TO, UM, GO THROUGH A TEST. YOU'D HAVE TO GET A TEST IN A, UH, THERE'S A TENT SET UP ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CAPITOL, AND YOU HAVE TO GET A WRISTBAND TO SHOW THAT YOU'VE PASSED YOUR TEST. UM, YOU'VE HAD A TEST. AND SO IF YOU HAVEN'T WRISTBAND, YOU'RE GOING TO BE ABLE TO GO INTO THE, THE SENATE COMMITTEE HEARINGS. AND SO, UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WILL THERE BE AS MANY PEOPLE TESTIFYING ON THE SENATE SIDE? NO, BUT THERE WILL BE PEOPLE TESTIFYING. UM, AND ON THE HOUSE SIDE, I THINK THEY'RE STILL TRYING TO, HONESTLY, THEY'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. UM, AND THERE'S, SO WITH 150, UM, DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ON HOW TO HANDLE, UM, THAT, UM, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ON THE HOUSE SIDE, BUT I, THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT LESS, UM, TESTIMONY I THINK, THAN IN THE PAST. UM, AND, UH, SO I THINK THE KEY IS WE'RE REALLY GONNA HAVE TO RELY ON THE DELEGATION, THE GARLAND DELEGATION TO CARRY OUR WEIGHT, YOU KNOW, REALLY DO A LOT OF LIFTING FOR US AND GOING TO MEMBERS ON THE FLOORS AND THE CHAIR, PEOPLE OF THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES AND SAYING, I'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THIS [00:55:01] BILL, DON'T YOU CAN'T, DON'T SET THIS FOR HEARING, OR PLEASE DON'T PLEASE WORK WITH US. UM, IT, IT, THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE WORKED OUT IN COMMITTEE HEARINGS AS MUCH AS THEY HAVE BEEN IN THE PAST. CAUSE THEY'RE JUST GOING TO BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT. UM, YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE COMMITTEE HEARINGS MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY, POTENTIALLY. TYPICALLY THEY'VE HAD COMMITTEE HEARINGS MONDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, A FEW ON THURSDAY, BUT THEN THEY START WHEN THEY BREAK ON THURSDAY, PRETTY MUCH UNTIL, YOU KNOW, IN END OF SESSION, THEY GO HOME. AND SO IN AN EFFORT TO COMBAT COVID, THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO SPACE OUT THE COMMITTEE HEARINGS ALL THROUGHOUT THE WEEK AND TRY TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE THAT ARE THERE. SO, UM, THE PROCESS IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT AND YOU CAN S YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE THE ABILITY TO, TO PROVIDE, UM, OPPOSITION AND, AND TESTIMONY. IT'S JUST, IT'S NOT GOING TO BE AS EASY AS IT'S BEEN IN THE PAST. OKAY. OKAY. AND THE THINKING IS THAT MOST OF THAT IS GOING TO BE GOING TO BE DONE ELECTRONICALLY OR REMOTELY. CAUSE I I'VE READ ABOUT A NUMBER OF, PARTICULARLY ON THE HOUSE SIDE FOLKS WHO ARE ALREADY DOWN FROM COVID AND THAT NUMBER SEEMS TO BE RISING EVERY DAY. AND SO THAT'S WHY I RE JUST RAISED THAT QUESTION IN PREVIOUS YEARS. IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE THAT, SO, YEAH. AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE. NO, THEY'RE STRUGGLING WITH IT. I THEY'RE THE MORE AND MORE THEY MEET, THE MORE AND MORE OF THOSE MEMBERS ARE GETTING COVID AND, UM, YEAH, I DON'T, I THINK THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET THOSE GUYS AND GIRLS VACCINATED, UM, AS FAST AS POSSIBLE SO THEY CAN HAVE A NORMAL SESSION WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE THEY'RE SKIPPING TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE. SO, UM, IT'S, UH, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A MESS AND I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S JUST A MESS. I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO PUT IT. ALL RIGHT. GREAT. THANK YOU. YES, SIR. UH, KINSMEN, ROBIN, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT TO THROW IN BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM? ALL RIGHT. I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE US FORWARD BECAUSE WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO FIVE O'CLOCK HERE. WE DON'T HAVE A HARD STOP, BUT I WANT TO BE RESPECTFUL OF EVERYBODY'S TIME TODAY. UH, LET'S MOVE ON TO ITEM TWO B DISCUSSION ON COMMUNITY ADVOCACY, UH, AGAINST MEMBER WILLIAMS. UH, I THINK THIS WAS KIND OF YOUR, YOUR BABY. SO IF YOU WANT TO RUN WITH IT FOR US AND GIVE US AN IDEA OF WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE AND, UH, WE'LL GO FROM THERE AND USING A SUPERNATURAL POWER, SHE'S DISAPPEARED FROM THE SCREEN. SURE. FOR SOME PAPERS SERVED WITH THAT. UM, WELL REALLY I DON'T HAVE, I DON'T HAVE A WHOLE LOT TO SAY AND, AND KIND OF, UH, PER OUR CONVERSATION. SO PER THE GUIDANCE AND CONVERSATION WE'VE HAD TODAY, I JUST, UM, I KNOW BRAD, UM, MENTIONED, UM, A NUMBER OF TIMES, UH, ABOUT US PLAYING DEFENSE. AND THE ONLY THING THAT I'LL RAISE WITH THIS, UH, COMMUNITY ADVOCATE IS TO BE ABLE, PARTICULARLY ON, UH, ON THE HOUSE SIDE SEVEN 49. IS THAT WHAT POINT? CAUSE THIS ONE, UM, I, THIS, YOU KNOW, WILL BE, IF NOT AT THE TOP, IN THE TOP FIVE, I BET YOU THIS AND AT LEAST IN THE TOP FIVE, IF NOT THE TOP THREE. SO BRAD, WHAT DO YOU SEE? DO YOU SEE ANY OFFENSIVE SHIFT ON OUR AIRPORT AND ADDRESSING, UH, THIS COMMUNITY ADVOCACY, ADVOCACY LEGISLATION ON BOTH SIDES? THEY ARE BOTH THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND TURNING FROM A DEFENSIVE POSTURE TO ENOUGH INTO A PASTOR AND ANY CLUE ON, IS THERE ANYTHING CONCERTED COMING OUT A T A MALE, OR IS IT ANY KIND OF CONCERTED EFFORT TO ADDRESS THIS ONE? SO THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I'D LIKE TO WE'LL BREAK IN REAL QUICK. DID YOU SAY HOUSE BILL SEVEN 49 THAT'S THAT'S YEAH. THAT'S THAT'S YEAH, THAT THAT'S, UH, THAT'S THAT'S MILTON. OKAY. THAT'S THE TAX PAYER FUNDED LOBBYIST BILL, RIGHT? TAXPAYER FUNDING LOBBY. YEAH. THANK YOU. YEAH. IT'S LIKE, IT'S NOT BROAD TITLE COMMUNITY ADVOCACY. RIGHT. BUT, BUT MY QUESTION, UH, BRAD IS, IS, DO YOU SEE, DO YOU SEE AT ANY POINT ARE ON ANY OF THIS STUFF AND IT SPILLS SHIFTING TO A MORE OFFENSIVE POSTURE? AND SO WHAT WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? AND I'M JUST THROWING IT OUT TO YOU IN TIME? WELL, I THINK THIS IS, IS AS FAR AS OUR OFFENSIVE, IT'S, IT'S A FULL ON, UM, EFFORT ON OUR PART, UH, TO KILL THESE BILLS. UM, I DON'T SEE HOW YOU CAN AMEND THEM [01:00:01] AND MAKE THEM WORK. UM, BUT THAT'S JUST ME. I MEAN, I REALLY DON'T, AND HERE'S THE THEME THAT WE'VE BEEN FLOATING AROUND, UH, AGAIN, NOT HAVING, UH, THE COMMITTEE'S FULL INPUT ON THIS. SO, UM, IF I SAY SEVEN HERE THAT, UH, FINS ANY OF YOU, YOU'LL LET ME KNOW AND WE'LL TAKE IT OUT OF OUR TALKING POINTS DOWN AND TO MAJOR TO, UH, UM, HOW, HOW STRONG WE WANT TO BE IN CARRYING THIS MATCHES. I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE, IF WE MAKE SOME PEOPLE MAD, UH, WHO SUPPORT THESE BILLS? WELL, I MEAN, THAT'S TOUGH. I DON'T THINK THE ANY IN OUR DELEGATION, I THINK OUR MESSAGE HAS BEEN VERY WELL RECEIVED BY OUR DELEGATION AND REACH OUT TO ALL OF THEM. UM, BUT IT'S BEEN WELL RECEIVED BY ALL OF THEM AND ALL SAY, IT'LL BE, I THINK IT WILL BE RECEIVED. AND WELL-RECEIVED BY ALL OF THEM, EXCEPT FOR ONE, UM, VERSION OF THE BILL. AND WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA MAKE HIM VERY MAD. UM, BUT HE IS ONE TO THE INTEREST OF THE GARLAND TAXPAYER. AND WE NEED TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO BE STRONG ON THAT POINT. SO LET ME GO BRIEFLY THROUGH WHAT THAT MESSAGE HAS BEEN. UM, ONE THING I'VE, I'VE BEEN LABELING THESE BILLS, UH, AS, UH, SILENCING THE PEASANTRY, BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, THAT WE REPRESENT AN OPPOSITION, UH, TO THINGS IF THEY WANT DONE DOWN THERE. AND WE ARE, UM, UH, WE ARE AN UNPLEASANT PRESENCE BECAUSE WE SAY THINGS ABOUT BILLS. IF THEY WANT TO GO THROUGH THAT, THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO HEAR. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE TRY TO SAY IS, IS THE GARLAND RESIDENTS, TAXPAYERS AND RATE PAYERS NEED TO HAVE A VOICE IN AUSTIN, AND IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE SILENCED AND IS GOES BACK TO THAT, UM, THAT OTHER TALKING POINTS, WORDS MATTER. AND, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IF LEGISLATION HAS PASSED, IT HAS THE RIGHT WORDS AND WHATEVER WORDS COME OUT, UH, THEY DON'T HARM GARLAND. UM, W WHERE THE, THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WAY OF GIVING A VOICE, UH, DURING THIS LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, BECAUSE W WHAT, WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IS, UM, WELL, LET'S GO BACK TO THIS LABEL. IT'S BEEN, WELL-MARKETED TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBY. WE DON'T DO ANY LOBBYING. WE'RE NOT LOBBYISTS LIKE REAL OBVIOUS WHO SPENT A LOT OF MONEY AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVE THE, UH, OPEN TAB AT THE BAR, UH, THAT SOME OF THE MEMBERS CAN USE AND, AND, UH, TAKE THEM ON GOLFING EXPEDITIONS, THEN EVERYTHING ELSE WE, WE DON'T DO THAT. WE SIMPLY TRY TO INTERACT WITH LEGISLATIVE PROCESS AND SAY, UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS, UH, OR WE WANT TO USE THESE WORDS INSTEAD OF THESE WORDS, AND TRY TO COME UP WITH BETTER, UH, BETTER RESULTS LEGISLATIVELY THAN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF WE WERE SILENCED AND PUSHED ASIDE. UM, LET ME LOOK HERE REAL QUICK. OH, ONE I'M SAYING, WE KEEP SAYING YOU GARDEN DOESN'T CREATE PROBLEMS. AND AGAIN, SOME OF THESE BILLS ARE TARGETED AT CITIES, OUR CAR, UM, AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE DAMAGED IN THE PROCESS OF SOMEBODY GOING AFTER A PARTICULAR CITY OR A PARTICULAR GROUP OF CITIES, BECAUSE WE AREN'T SAM AND WE HAVE OUR OWN PARTICULAR INTEREST IN NEEDS IN GARLAND. AND IT'S BEST THAT WE NOT BE IN DOVER. WE THINK WE HAVE A VOICE AND IT SHOULD BE HEARD. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS TOO, IS THAT WE ARE, UM, WE ARE ON POINT OF THINGS, YOU KNOW, AS A GOVERNMENT, WE'RE EXPECTED TO ENFORCE THESE LAWS OR TO ABIDE BY THEM. AND IF THEY'RE INCOMPREHENSIBLE, THEN IT DOESN'T DO ANY GOOD. AND THEY COME UP WITH LAWS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO BE ENFORCED, UH, ENFORCED BY US. AND YET WE LOOK AT THE WORDS THEY USE, AND WHEN WE ARE MAD, I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS. UM, AND I CAN GIVE EXAMPLES, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF LEGISLATION. IT JUST, IT GOES ON THE BOOKS. IF THEY WANT TO BE SYMBOLIC, PUT IT ON THE BOOK. OKAY, THAT'S FINE. IF THEY WANT TO ACTUALLY HAVE THAT LAW ENFORCED, THEN THEY NEED TO LISTEN TO, [01:05:01] SO THEY GET THE RIGHT WORDS AND WE CAN GO OUT AND ENFORCE THAT LAW. UM, THERE ARE LOTS OF FOLKS, UH, IN AUSTIN WHO, UM, REPRESENT AND ARE LOBBYISTS LOBBYISTS. UM, BUT THEY, THEY REPRESENT TWO ENTITIES ARE A TAX EXEMPT. UM, THEY DON'T PAY INCOME TAX. THEY DON'T PAY PROPERTY TAX, WHATEVER ELSE. AND THEY'RE BIG, BIG MONEY ON SOME OF THOSE ENTITIES. SO THE QUESTION IS, WELL, IF WE'RE GOING TO STOP, LET ME PAUSE HERE AND SAY, THIS IS ONE OF THOSE POINTS THAT YOU MAY NOT WANT US TO MAKE. UM, BECAUSE IT, IT COULD CREATE SOME IN THE T ON THE PART OF THE PEOPLE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. UH, BUT THESE BIG WELL-FUNDED VERY POWERFUL LOBBYING GROUPS OR OUR PACKS OR WHATEVER ELSE AND THEY'RE TAX EXEMPT. AND SO TO THAT EXTENT, THEY ARE TAXPAYERS, SUBSIDIZED LOBBYING GROUPS. AND SO YOU'D HAVE TO ASK THE QUESTION, WELL, IF, UM, IF YOU WANT TO DO AWAY WITH TAXPAYER TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYING, UH, WHY DON'T WE INCLUDE THOSE GROUPS THAT ARE TAXPAYERS SUBSIDIZED NOW, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE COULD EVEN CONSTITUTIONALLY DO THAT. UH, BUT THE TAX EXEMPTIONS AREN'T REALLY CONTROLLED BY FIRST AMENDMENT THINGS. THERE'S, THEY'RE, THEY'RE A FUNCTION OF, UH, ANOTHER PORTION OF GOVERNMENTAL POWER, BUT I THINK IT'S A POINT THAT, UH, POWERFUL POINTS THAT COULD BE MADE IF YOU'RE WILLING TO TAKE THAT RISK. UM, YOU KNOW, THAT IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR CITIES AND IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THESE, UH, ENTITIES THAT TAXPAYERS ALSO SUBSIDIZE BY, UM, UH, EXPECTING ANY TAX, UH, OF ANY PROPERTY TAX OR OTHERWISE, UH, OUT OF THESE GROUPS AND MERRILL STOP, I HOPE. OKAY. AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, I KNOW YOU'RE TRYING TO WRAP UP THE MEETING. I JUST, CAN I OFFER JUST A FEW COMMENTS ON THIS ISSUE SINCE I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE NEXT TIME I'LL BE ABLE TO TALK TO Y'ALL. OKAY. UM, SO JUST TO ADD ON TO WHAT BRAD'S SAYING, BUT JUST, AND TO KIND OF LET YOU KNOW WHAT I'M HEARING DOWN IN AUSTIN ON THIS ISSUE, YOU KNOW, I'M HEARING A PUSH TO HAVE GREATER TRANSPARENCY, UM, AS A WAY TO COUNTERACT THESE BILLS IS TO JUST HAVE MORE AND MORE, UM, INFORMATION POSTED ON INTERNET WEBSITES FOR CITIES AND JUST MAKE IT VERY, VERY TRANSPARENT THAT, THAT, THAT GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES ARE HIRING LOBBYISTS. THAT'S ONE. THE OTHER ONE I'M HEARING IS ABOUT LIMITING THE PROHIBITION TO THAT LOCAL ENTITIES CAN'T HAVE LOBBYISTS, YOU KNOW, ON THEIR PAYROLL TO WORK ON TAX RELATED ISSUES DID JUST LET ME LIMITING IT TO TAX RELATED ISSUES. UM, DIDN'T HAVE LIKE A REVOLUTION OVER THAT A COUPLE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. WELL, I'M SORRY. SO SENATE BILL TWO, I MEAN THE PROPERTY TAX DEAL, WHAT, WHY THE REPUBLICANS ARE SO, SO ADAMANT ABOUT THIS BILL IS THEY FEEL LIKE THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTAL ENTITIES WERE GETTING BETWEEN THEM AND THEIR VOTERS AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS. AND THEY'VE CREATED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF ANGST AMONGST THE REPUBLICANS THAT THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE THEIR VOTERS, THEIR PEOPLE THEY'RE GOING OUT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL OR TELLING US, HELP US ON PROPERTY TAXES, HELP US ON PROPERTY TAXES AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. THESE ARE GETTING IN THERE AND STOPPING THAT FROM GIVING THE RELIEF THEIR VOTERS ARE ASKING FOR. SO THAT ONE ISSUE HAS CREATED A LOT OF TENSION. AND I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT SPEAKER, BONNEN PUT A LOT OF BILLS OUT THERE, ANTI CITY TO PUT LEVERAGE ON CITIES AND TO HURT LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES. SO THAT SENATE BILL TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT THING GOT THROUGH IN SOME FORM. SURE. SO, SO THAT'S MY HOPE IS WITH SENATE BILL TWO IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, THAT THAT WILL ELIMINATE SOME OF THE ANGST, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FRUSTRATION WITH CITIES THAT REPUBLICANS HAVE, UM, CAUSE IT REALLY IS A REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT ISSUE. I DON'T KNOW HOW IT'S TURNED INTO THAT, BUT IT DIDN'T, BUT IT HAS. UM, AND, UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I I'M, I, I JUST THINK I WANT TO PREVIEW KIND OF GIVE YOU A PREVIEW OF WHAT'S I THINK IS COMING, IS THAT THERE MIGHT BE SOME EFFORTS TO LIMIT IT, TO KEEP LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WITH STEVE'S FROM LOBBYING ON TAX ISSUES AND THEY CAN, THEY CAN WORK ON EVERYTHING ELSE. THEY JUST CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE, AND THE FINAL THING I'LL SAY IS, UM, I THINK THE, THE, THE NATHAN JOHNSON AND THE THREE DEMOCRATS IN THE TEXAS HOUSE OF THE DELEGATION ARE WITH YOU, I'M THINKING REPRESENTATIVE BUTTON WAS WITH YOU LAST SESSION. THERE'S NO REASON I HAVEN'T HEARD NOTHING OF WHY SHE WOULDN'T BE WITH YOU THIS SESSION. UM, ON THIS ISSUE, SHE REALLY STOOD UP AND SHE WAS ONE OF 25 REPUBLICANS IN THE TEXAS HOUSE THAT VOTED AGAINST THIS BILL AND KEPT IT FROM GOING, MOVING FORWARD AND BEING VOTED OUT OF THE HOUSE. UM, BUT SHE IS GOING TO FACE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE. [01:10:01] UM, AND, UM, AND I MEAN, SHE, WHEN BON HAD HAD HIS TALK WITH THE TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION AND HE'D LAID OUT 10 REPUBLICANS TO GO AFTER IT WAS, THAT WAS, HE WAS FROM THAT LIST OF 25 REPUBLICANS THAT VOTED AGAINST TAXPAYER FUNDED LOBBYISTS. AND THE ONLY REASON SHE WASN'T ON THAT LIST FOR BOND AND TO TELL THE TPPS, OR EXCUSE ME, THE, UM, MICHAEL QUINN SULLIVAN AND EMPOWER TEXANS TO GO AFTER WAS BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS ARE SCARED OF LOSING THAT SEAT BECAUSE THAT PARTICULARLY LAST NOVEMBER, THEY DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS GOING TO SEAT WAS GOING TO REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT AND IT ALMOST WENT DEMOCRAT. UM, AND SO SHE'S GOING TO GET A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON HER, ON THIS ISSUE BECAUSE BONNEN AND SPEAKER FEELIN ARE REALLY ARE THEY'RE CLOSE. AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THE REALITY IS THAT THOSE SPEAKERS CLOSE WITH THE FORMER SPEAKER. AND, UM, SO I JUST KINDA WANTED TO RELAY OUT SOME OF THE REALITIES THAT ARE GOING ON IN AUSTIN, UM, AND WHAT POTENTIALLY HOW THIS ISSUE COULD UNFOLD. AND, UM, BUT WE'LL DEFINITELY KEEP YOU UPDATED AND, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, TEND TO CONTINUE TO WORK FOR YOU AND, AND GARLAND AND, AND WORKING WITH BRAD AND HIS TEAM TO, TO KEEP YOU UPDATED AND WORKING ON THIS ISSUE. OF COURSE, THE IRONY IS THAT ISN'T T T P P F UH, USING A BUNCH OF TAX EXEMPTION TYPE OF STUFF TO DO THEIR OPERATION. YES. I HAD LAID IT OUT VERY WELL. YES, THAT'S SHOCKING. RICHARD, IS THERE ANY CHANCE, I MEAN, I WOULD THINK THAT ANGIE WOULD ACTUALLY NOW HAVE MORE STROKE THAN LESS, THAT YOU WOULD OCCUPY ALMOST LIKE A JOE MANCHIN, LIKE POSITION HERE IS THAT, I MEAN, AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU COULD USE SOME OF THAT LEVERAGE. IS THAT AN INCORRECT VIEWING OF HOW THINGS WORK DOWN THERE? YEAH, I MEAN, I, WELL, I THINK IT HURT HER AND I MEAN, THIS IS MY PERSONAL, THAT WOULD THAT BE AN 82 67? IF IT WAS CLOSE, IF THE DEMOCRATS HAD WON SOME SEATS AND MADE IT 76, 74, 76, 74, MANY CLOSER HER SEAT WOULD BE A LITTLE MORE VALUABLE. WOULD IT BE AN 82 60, YOU KNOW, 68, THE REPUBLICANS HELD A PRETTY, PRETTY, YOU KNOW, THEY HELD ALL THEIR SEATS. I MEAN, THEY, THEY LOST ONE, A GAME ONE. SO KEEP KEEPING HOLD OF THE SEATS LIKE ANDREW CHEN BUTTONS. YEAH. IT'S IMPORTANT, BUT IT'S NOT AS IMPORTANT AS IT LOOKED LIKE PRIOR TO NOVEMBER 3RD. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU, TOM. APPRECIATE YOUR ANALYSIS INSIGHT. UM, COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, OR AT LEAST LAST WEEK, I WENT AHEAD AND THREW A DRAFT LETTER INTO BOX, UM, LEGISLATIVE LOVING. UM, IF ANYBODY GETS A CHANCE TO LOOK THAT OVER AND SEND ME SOME COMMENTS, I'D APPRECIATE IT. UM, I'M TRYING, UH, AN APPROACH, UH, THAT EMPHASIZES THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF TAXPAYER ASSETS THAT WE'RE MANAGING AND ANY ATTACK ON OUR ABILITY TO REPRESENT THOSE ASSETS IS REALLY AN ATTACK ON THE TAXPAYER AS WELL. AND THEN, SO THAT IS THE, UH, AGAIN, IT'S THAT, THAT LIBERTARIAN MINDSET THAT I SEE IS, IS BEING VERY PERVASIVE IN THE, THE HOUSE AND SENATE THAT I'M TRYING TO ADDRESS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD ARGUMENTS TO MAKE THAT. UM, WELL, I, I JUST THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, W WHEN YOU SAID THAT THERE THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THEY'RE GOING TO TRY AND KEEP US FROM JUST ONLY LOBBYING ON CERTAIN ISSUES AND NOT OTHERS. I WAS THINKING, WELL, OKAY, WE CAN JUST GO GET A BILLBOARD WHERE THEY CAN'T REGULATE THE CONTENT OF THE SIGN, UH, YOU KNOW, PURCHASE ONE IN AUSTIN. AND, UH, I'M JUST AT WORK. NO, I'M NOT. OKAY. I'M NOT SEEING ANYTHING OUT OF BREAD, SO FAIR ENOUGH. UM, BUT I WOULD BE SURPRISED IF THAT WOULD BE UPHELD, REGULATING OUR SPEECH BY ITS CONTENT. UH, THAT, THAT WOULD BE AN INTERESTING COURT CASE. I DON'T KNOW THAT CITIES HAVE RIGHTS, BUT I'D LIKE TO THINK WE DO HAVE SOME, OKAY. UM, COUNCIL MEMBER WILLIAMS, HAVE WE, HAVE WE COVERED EVERYTHING ON THIS AGENDA POINT THAT YOU WANTED COVERED? ARE WE MISSING ANYTHING, SIR? THANK YOU. OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANY GENERAL UPDATES THAT, UH, THAT STAFF WANTS TO BRING FORWARD OR ANY NEW ITEMS, UH, THAT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, UH, WANT US TO TACKLE? GO AHEAD AND PUNCH IN AND START TALKING. AND MR. CHAIRMAN, YOU WILL GET THAT BILL TRACKING REPORT IN YOUR BOX AND WE'LL SHORT FROM THERE. OKAY. AND I DON'T EXACTLY KNOW HOW MUCH OF THIS WE'RE GOING TO DO BEFORE THINGS GET REFERRED INTO COMMITTEE AND BUILT, START BEING COMBINED AND CONSOLIDATED. UH, BUT I'M NOT SURE OPERATIONALLY HOW WE WANT TO GET THESE ONE-PAGERS BACK TO THE COUNCIL, UH, ASSUMING WE HAVE TIME TO DO SO. UM, AND SO AS WE GET THESE OPPORTUNITIES, UH, AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE'VE GOT AN ACTUAL BILL NUMBER THAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO TRACK [01:15:01] FOR A SINGLE ISSUE, AND WE'RE GOING TO KIND OF MAKE THIS UP AS WE GO ALONG AND, UM, AND JUST SEE HOW IT WORKS. AND IF ANYBODY SEES OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT, UH, PLEASE SPEAK UP BECAUSE AGAIN, WE'RE MAKING THIS ALL UP AS WE GO ALONG, THIS IS OUR FIRST RUN AT IT. SO DON'T BE SHY. DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANYTHING THEY NEED TO BRING FORWARD TODAY? ALL RIGHT. SEEING NOTHING, EVERYBODY. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. TY. GOOD LUCK GODSPEED, SIR. UM, IT IS 5:16 PM AND THIS COMMITTEE MEETING IS ADJOURNED. THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING. THANK YOU. HAVE A GOOD EVENING, EVERYBODY. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.