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« Back to Opinion & Analysis
Blocker Rule Change Needed for Conservative Success in Upcoming Texas Legislature
Editorial for the Houston Community Newspaper
Steven F. Hotze, M.D.
December 5, 2008
Dear Fellow Conservative,
The Texas Senate Blocker Rule must be changed in order for Republicans to pass conservative legislation in the upcoming 2009 Texas Legislature. George Washington stated that, "The fundamental the principle of our Constitution requires that the will of the majority prevail." The current Blocker Rule prevents this in Texas.
Click Here To Sign the Petition Calling for a Change in the Blocker Rule.
It is also crucial that you contact your Republican state senator today and ask him to join with his Republican colleagues to agree to change the Blocker Rule. The 18 Republican state senators will caucus in early January 2009 and can agree to change the Blocker Rule when the 2009 Texas Legislative Session convenes.
The Blocker Rule is an archaic rule which the Texas State Senate has adopted at the beginning of each legislative session requiring 21 out of the 31, (2/3), senators to sign a discharge petition before a bill can be voted upon by the full senate. This means that only 11 of 31 state senators, the Democrat minority, can block a bill from being brought to the senate floor for a vote. Once the bill is brought to the floor, it then takes only a simple majority, 16 senators, to pass the bill. Because of the Blocker Rule, which the Republican state senators have allowed to be adopted each session, the Democrat minority controls what legislation is allowed to be voted upon by the senate. This explains why the Republicans state senators have been unable to pass legislation to stop the dramatic increase in both property taxes and in the growth of state government spending and entitlement programs.
Some state senators argue that the rule has been a long standing tradition which leads to bi-partisanship. In reality it gives to the minority Democrats the power to block conservative legislation. Some argue that if the Republicans change the Blocker Rule, then the Democrats will be able to pass liberal legislation if they ever come to power. In fact unless the Republicans can demonstrate their ability to pass conservative legislation which lowers taxes, eliminates the business tax, cuts government spending and protects traditional social values, then they will lose power just as the National Republicans in Congress have done, and rightfully so. If the Democrats ever gain a majority, then you can be sure that they will abolish the Blocker Rule.
Sometimes a state senator secretly supports a bill against the wishes of his constituency. He may agree to be one of the 21 senators who secretly sign a discharge petition to allow the bill to be brought to the senate floor for a vote. Here is the deception. The senator may then openly vote against the bill itself, so that he can tell his constituents that he voted against it, while in fact he signed the petition to allow the bill to be brought to the senate floor in the first place, which allowed the bill to be voted upon and passed. Similarly, a senator can claim that he supports a conservative piece of legislation but not sign a discharge petition to allow a conservative bill to be voted upon. This is inside politics and as you can see the senators do not want you to understand how they use the Blocker Rule to protect themselves from having to vote for or against conservative legislation. There are currently 18 Republican state senators with one special election scheduled for December. It only takes 16 out of the 31 state senators at the beginning of the 2009 Texas Legislative Session in January to change the rules of the Senate and change the Blocker Rule.
Now the Republican senate majority has an excellent opportunity to change the Blocker Rule and replace it with a rule allowing the support of only 18 senators (60%) to permit a bill to be brought up for a vote. This 60% would be the same threshold that is required in the U.S. Senate. By accomplishing this simple rule change then our Republican state senators will be able to pass conservative legislation without worrying that the liberal Democrat minority will be able to block it.
The State Republican Executive Committee and the Texas State Republican Convention have passed resolutions calling for a change in the Blocker Rule.
Click Here To Sign the Petition Calling for a Change in the Blocker Rule.
Forward this letter to your distribution lists and provide leadership for your friends by taking action.
Contact Lt. Governor Dewhurst and your Republican state senator today by phone and e-mail and tell him or her that you want the Blocker Rule changed.
Below is a list of all of the Senators phone numbers and e-mails, as well as a suggested phone script and letter which you can adapt and use to e-mail your State Senator.
By launching a massive effort to each of the Republican state senators, we can regain the momentum and advance our conservative principles and philosophy in the 2009 Texas Legislative Session and well into the future.
The tyranny of the Democrat minority in the Texas State Senate must be eliminated.
Thanking you for your willingness to take action to advance conservative principles, I remain, as always,
Sincerely yours for liberty,
Steven F. Hotze, M.D.
President, Conservative Republicans of Texas
List of Republican State Senators – office number – e-mail address
Suggested Phone Script -
"Hello, my name is ___________ from (City Name) calling to ask Senator _________ to vote to change the Blocker Rule. I want to encourage Senator _______ and the other Republican state senators to pass conservative legislation in the Texas Senate. We have the majority and shouldn't allow the Democrat minority to block our conservative agenda. Can I count on Senator __________ to vote to change the Blocker Rule?
Suggested E-mail Script –
Dear Senator ______________,
When the Texas State Senate convenes in January please vote to change the Blocker Rule so that only the support of 18 state senators is need to bring up a bill for a vote before the senate. As a concerned Texas citizen, and a conservative Republican activist, it is obvious to me that this archaic rule allows the Democrat minority of 11 senators to block conservative legislation in the Texas Senate.
A majority of Texans chose Republicans again, but their patience is wearing thin. If we want to continue to grow as the majority party, then we must pass the conservative agenda which we advocated during the elections, that being, free enterprise, lower taxes, a decrease in government spending and protection for the sanctity of human life and traditional social values.
The tradition of the archaic Blocker Rule should not be permitted to allow Republican state senators to escape their contractual duty with their supporters to enact a conservative agenda which addresses the problems of everyday Texas families and businesses. As a conservative, I am asking you to change the Blocker Rule which is solely designed to allow Senators to avoid voting on the issues that are important to Texans.
The future of Texas, the Republican Party, and our way of life depend upon Republicans enacting conservative legislation in the upcoming legislative session. If Texas Republicans do not have a successful session, then it will difficult to prevent the Democrats from gaining the upper hand in 2010. Many voters like me will have lost all confidence in our Republican state senators if they fail to take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate true leadership.
Please change the Blocker Rule.
About Conservative Republicans of Texas
Steven F. Hotze, M.D. is president of Conservative Republicans of Texas and founder of Hotze Health & Wellness Center in Houston, Texas.
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