«

RE: Texas Poker Bill up for Committee Vote Today (3)

Email buzz alert

by , Mar 25, 2009 | 12:09 pm

Comments (36)

Click here to watch the meeting live

OK, here you go … click the link below to ping the House Licensing and Procedures Committee with your support for HB 222. And for those of you griping that the bill itself isn’t perfect … STFU! don’t worry, we can work on that … one step at a time … but first we have to get over today’s hump.

I’ll be letting them know that I am happy they are giving HB 222 it’s due consideration and that I’d like to weigh in with my enthusiastic support. I seriously hope you’ll do the same before opponents to our bill see this post and hijack this link for their own purposes.

Click here to insta-contact important representatives

Here’s the text I’ve included for you … but feel free to customize it however you feel necessary:

To: Edmund Kuempel, Jose Menendez
CC: Senfronia Thompson, Warren Chisum, Charlie Geren, Roland Gutierrez, Delwin Jones, Mike Hamilton, Chente Quintanilla
BCC: Pokerati
SUBJ: 222: please vote YES

Hi there your honors,

I know you have many important votes today. I recognize that HB 222 is a bill about personal freedom that protects Texas citizens while bringing economic benefits to our state. I hope you too will support this sensible government measure and let the voice of hundreds of thousands of Texas poker players be heard and given due consideration in the House of Representatives.

Thank you for your service,

UPDATE: Had Kuempel’s name spelled wrong in the first go at this … it’s been corrected … but just an fyi, in case you were a super-early sender whose email to the chairman bounced.

REMINDER: Don’t forget to add your name (and Texas city if relevant). One-click … type your name … click again … done — you have done your duty as an engaged citizen and contributed toward expanding gambling in Texas the betterment of the recognized skill game that is Texas Hold’em/making the world a better place.


Tags: ,

36 Comments to “RE: Texas Poker Bill up for Committee Vote Today (3)”


  1. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 12:41pm

    Hearing is now live.


  2. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 12:50pm

    argh, i can’t get the link in the previous post to work. apparently real audio and mac don’t mix? any suggestions?


  3. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 12:52pm

    Try the VLC Player:

    http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-macosx.html

    However, all I get is the audio (which isn’t that thrilling since they’re talking about geologists).


  4. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:32pm

    perhaps shockingly, simply downloading Real Player for mac worked. Am watching it now!


  5. Ken     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:03pm

    As of 1:02 Az time, they are talking about Geologists etc.. Nothing about HB 222 just yet..


  6. Charles Williams     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:29pm

    semicolons, not commas… 🙂


  7. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:31pm

    it totally works, dude, as is! did it not for you?


  8. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:34pm

    i’m not sure what bill they are discussing right now, but i like the point they are making that texas should take every opportunity possible to increase state revenue without raising property taxes.


  9. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:34pm

    i can see Lavigne! And I think Michele’s head!

    CORRECTION: Wasn’t them. They’re outside the chamber right now.


  10. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:36pm

    When we can embed this sorta stream on pokerati, then life will be really sweet. 🙂


  11. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:51pm

    I’m watching on good old Windows. I don’t know when this poker bill’s coming up, but the package store discussing is fascinating.


  12. Ed     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:55pm

    Am I late? Sent the email but I have this itchy feeling that I got to the site a bit late for the news.


  13. Ken     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:56pm

    LOL!!!

    I feel for the poor soul who said he will LOSE money if he is ‘forced’ to open up on Sunday..


  14. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:58pm

    You’re probably kidding … but really, it is pretty fascinating to see how the whole system/game works at what is essentially the 2/5 or maybe 5/10 level of politics here.

    Real people real business with an interest financial and otherwise in someone else’s idea to improve the role of liquor sales in society.

    Seven more bills to go before they get to poker … yikes, this could take a while. 🙂

    http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/schedules/html/C3502009032508007.htm


  15. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 1:59pm

    Ed, you made it in plenty of time … and surely they will take a break at sometime before they get to us, at which point the reps will either check their blackberries or their staffs will clue them in on what’s been coming in over the internet/phone transom.


  16. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:06pm

    They may be jumping around, the first item up for discussion at the hearing was something well down on the list.


  17. jeff     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:11pm

    anyone have an update, busy playing SNG’s,dont want to lose my concentration


  18. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:14pm

    yes, right now it looks like it’s gonna be a very tight vote on whether or not liquor stores should be allowed to open on sundays.

    they are weighing the financial impact of allowing people to cross the border into mexico and bring back duty-free booze on the sabbath.


  19. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:14pm

    Apparently, they’re not close to discussing poker.


  20. jeff     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:16pm

    im on the edge of my seat, thnks….on the sunday issue that is


  21. Ken     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:16pm

    Where is the list of bills being introduced today?

    Thanks!


  22. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:19pm

    here’s the link again … but supposedly they’re jumping around.

    http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/schedules/html/C3502009032508007.htm


  23. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:27pm

    @jeff

    i really am, too … am getting tired of it — vote already! … but it’s been good stuff. honestly, if this were to pass, it would be a pretty medium-big story in texas.


  24. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:28pm

    ooh, they’re starting to talk casinos (in poo-pooing louisiana)!


  25. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:47pm

    HB 222 now up.

    Maybe.


  26. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:48pm

    Ooh. Menendez just got chastised with a wink-wink that his poker bill is at stake if he doesn’t play ball with the chairman!


  27. Ed     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:50pm

    messed around on the dev site with embedding the video but only got the audio working. god i hate real player.


  28. Ken     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:58pm

    Its on like Donkey Kong… 🙂


  29. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:58pm

    They’re calling it “three deuces” … nice!

    We’re up!


  30. Kevin Mathers     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:58pm

    Now HB 222 discussion has started.


  31. Ken     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 2:59pm

    Probably not going to vote until there is a full committee..


  32. Ed     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 3:00pm

    If my wife knew I was watching this stream she would start calling me a poker nerd again.


  33. tommytwotoes     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 3:02pm

    any updates?(4:50-5pm central time) I cant watch the video at work…


  34. tommytwotoes     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 3:05pm

    i now see that your server is not on central time.thus i posted two minutes after the last guy and not 2 hours…


  35. Ed     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 3:05pm

    nothing yet…just explaining the bill.


  36. DanM     says:
    March 25th, 2009 at 3:08pm

    I’m updating here:

    https://pokerati.com/2009/03/25/live-blogging-the-hb-222-committee-hearing/