OVER 10,000 letters ROCK the Capitol
in support of SB1572 Fusion Center Privacy Policy

The Texas Bikers had their first committee hearing in the Senate on the all important SB1572- Fusion Center Privacy Policy Bill. One of the best Calls to Action yet from Texas bikers in all the rights groups. Dozer reported while on the phone late Monday afternoon with Senator Tommy Williams office “The bikers have burned up the fax machine”, with all of the Senators offices receiving a record number of over 10,000 letters primarily from the US Defenders. The system works and it works well.

I was in the hearing room at 6:30am and over heard one senator say, the only phone calls I received on all the bills today were in support of this Fusion Center bill.

Within thirty minutes the hearing room was completely filled with civil rights activist groups, bikers, law enforcement, and district attorneys. They were all there to battle it out on many bills presented that day. The most controversial bill SB9, a massive ominous bill to solve problems on the Texas border was taking off the table and put aside for the evening. This helped free up four hours of testimony allowing the bikers who were taking breaks from work to come by and actually tell their stories themselves. Timing is everything at these hearings. We were very glad that SB1572 was brought before the senators with half the testimony completed before the senators went onto the floor and the other half after lunch.

All morning and afternoon streams of bikers came through completing their testimony in writing and verbally. Bandido One Wire had great testimony that morning on behalf of the Christian motorcycle community and Veterans. Paul Landers and I testified along side APD officer David Carter and ACLU attorney Matt Simpson, who were in favor of the bill. TMRA2 member, Bart Luck, testified on the many times he was put into the Fusion Data Base because of the motorcycle funerals he has attended over the years.

We also submitted testimony from Circuit Rider MM, Roy Blalock, in writing stating he had been pulled out of a bike shop while purchasing a motorcycle for his wife and put in the Fusion Data base because the police thought he was robbing the bike shop due to his long hair and tattoo’s. Broken hearted and embarrassed Roy states “I thought they wanted to ask me about my Christian ministry. I never thought they would treat me so badly.

The most compelling was the testimony from Rebel Rider Ben Newner, JB and Tank from the Legacy Vets MC, and another biker Louis from the Regulators MC in the Houston area.

These gentlemen, all veterans, bravely sat in front of the most powerful senators of our state nailing testimony on what it feels like to fight against the terrorist in Iraq just to come back to Texas and be put in a Fusion Data because they are military and they now know how to make bombs. In testimony the comments: appalling, disgraceful, unconstitutional, and against my civil rights, came up over and over again in each hearing.

By the time the last Legacy Vet MC member testified, you could hear a pin drop in that meeting and see three shades of white quickly covering the faces of the senators who sat listening. I have been to a lot of committee hearings but I have never seen the senators respond to testimony as I did yesterday, they were disgusted. I could not have worded it any better than those brave men. It was the perfect committee hearing.

When everyone was finished speaking, Senator Kirk Watson, the very person who introduced this bill, turned to me and said, “We have to get through some of the changes in the language on this bill and work the bill out with all sides, but this bill will come out of committee. Many, Many Thanks to all who wrote letters, to everyone who helped post the information on Face book/internet, and to those who came to the capitol. To the US Defenders, COC&I, COIR, Abate, TMRA2 (and its Task Force), and to all of the coalition partners who provided the legal language for the bill.

If you get a chance, thank Kirk Watson and his staff-Sefronia Thompson and her staff for taking on and introducing the hardest bill TMRA2 has ever worked.

The Freedom Fighters of Texas can not do this work at the capitol successfully without the backing of the biker community. You ALL are the ones who make things happen.

And to those brave warriors who testified, God Bless you every day of your life for having the guts to stand up to real change while you were at war and now here in Texas. You are our Hero’s!

Terri Williams
TMRA2 Legislative Task Force

What’s next: The second Fusion Center bill we have on the house side is HB3219 will bill coming up on the house side in the next week. Check your e-mail for the date and time; we may only get two days notice. We will need testimony again on the house side as well to support the second bill HB3219. Below is the hand out that explains each bill.

Fusion Center Reform Bills Introduced this Session -

Thompson - HB3219

HB 3219 is essentially the language drafted by TAG, the ACLU, and the TMRA2.

HB3219 does the following:

1. Prohibits Texas fusion centers from reviewing, collecting, or maintaining non-criminal information about the political, religious, or social views, associations, military history, or activities of any individual or any group, association, corporation, business, partnership,or other organization.
2. Prohibits Texas fusion centers from reviewing, collecting, or maintaining protected health information, biometric information, or personally identifiable information.
3. Requires standards of information sharing and best practices for participating fusion centers.
4. Requires Texas fusion centers to submit reports to the standing committees of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over criminal justice.
5. Requires the Attorney General to provide oversight of the data and privacy protection function of criminal intelligence systems operating in Texas.
6. Requires every fusion center in Texas to establish and maintain an oversight board.

Watson - SB1572

SB1572 does the following:

1. Prohibits Texas fusion centers from reviewing, collecting, or maintaining non-criminal information about the political, religious, or social views, associations, military history, or activities of any individual or any group, association, corporation, business, partnership, or other organization.
2. Prohibits Texas fusion centers from reviewing, collecting, or maintaining protected health information, biometric information, or personally identifiable information.

We want to thank the TMRA2 DFW Chapter for putting on the Fish Fry in February. And to DA Tom Maddux and the TOG Chapter for all their hard work on the Texas Independence Day Rally. These events are what keep us going.

Paul Landers
National Lt. Commander
US Defenders
State Chairman
Texas Motorcycle Rights Association

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REKLAW — The Reklaw City Council
voted at Tuesday’s meeting to approve a request by ABATE District 11, the East Texas chapter of the motorcycle rights organization ABATE, to post “Share the Road” signs in the city.

City council members approved the placement of two “Share the Road” signs in Reklaw.

“Share the Road” signs, sponsored by Texas Confederation of Clubs & Independents, aim to make drivers aware of motorcyclists on the road and reduce the number of motorcycle collisions, said Brenda Daniels, assistant coordinator of Texas ABATE Confederation, Inc.

“We believe that these signs help save motorcyclists lives,” Daniels said. “We feel that whenever these signs are up, people will see those and kind of be more cautious.”

In 2009, 432 motorcyclists were killed in traffic accidents in Texas, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

“I think that is would be appropriate to have the motorcycle signs put up as a measure to prevent accidents and prevent fatalities,” said Reklaw Mayor Harlan Crawford.

“Share the Road” signs are posted in Jacksonville, Henderson, and Tyler. ABATE District 11 received approval from the City of Rusk in November to post “Share the Road” signs. Signs should be posted in Rusk by the end of March, Daniels said.

“It’s our goal and our mission to get as many signs as we can up in each city and town and on the major highways,” she said.

The City of Reklaw will submit a letter to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and TxDOT will decide where exactly the “Share the Road” signs will be placed.

“We have one major intersection of highways — (State) Highway 204 and (U.S.) Highway 84 — and that’s where the two signs would come in place,” Crawford said. “It would be where it’s most visible and where the most accidents possibly could happen. We have a lot of accidents at that junction of (State Highway) 204 and (U.S. Highway) 84.”

Reklaw City Secretary Judy Ritter said when the signs will be posted is uncertain.Full Story here