My name is Mike Lavigne (AKA \”Lavigne in Austin\”) and I am the founder and treasurer of the Texas Poker PAC. Dan has invited me to start posting regularly in an effort to keep Pokerati readers up to date on the status of our fight to expand and regulate poker in Texas.
I\’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of you in Dallas over the last year as we have gotten the Texas Poker PAC off the ground. Statewide legislative efforts like the Poker PAC take time to organize if they are to be done right, and I appreciate all the help and contributions thus far.
I have an extensive background in partisan politics, campaign and legislative strategy and public relations. I am also registering as an independent lobbyist this session. My client list is varied, but i will have a client (other than the PAC) that has an interest in the fight for poker.
I am also a board member of the Texas Cardplayers Association. The TCPA was formed by a group of poker players in Austin, San Antonio and the Hill Country. Unlike the PAC, we are a non-profit seeking to expand poker in Texas.
The PAC and the TCPA are working together to give Texas poker players a unified voice. The TCPA is currently seeking to build up members, and the PAC is focusing on message and legislative strategy. If you care about poker being legal to play in Texas, I encourage you all to visit the websites of these young organizations and seriously consider joining up now.
I have had several conversations with the good folks in charge at the PPA. They deal mainly with Federal issues at this point, and have their hands full with that from what I can tell. It appears that at this point in time, we are on our own to bring Hold\’em to Texas.
The Texas Legislative Session begins in early January and we need to be ready. This post is already getting long, so I\’ll cover more ground in my next one. There have been some questions that i can quickly answer though:
1) Yes, there will be a bill this session to expand and regulate poker in Texas. I\’ve seen a draft and it is a great start.
2) Just because there will be a bill doesn\’t mean it will pass. These things sometimes take a couple of sessions (4 years).
3) A bill undergoes many many changes as it moves through the legislative sausage grinder. No bill of any importance ever looks the same when it passes as it did when it was filed…so please don\’t panic if you see something you don\’t like when it is filed.
4) Please share your opinions with me. My email address is info@texaspokerpac.com
5) The best way rank and file poker players can aid in the Texas fight is to join one or more of the organizations I\’ve mentioned above.
6) Stay Tuned!
I\’m new to blogging so please forgive my lack of fancy formatting. I\’ll be writing again soon…