Your voice has been heard. There have been hundreds of phone calls, letters and emails over the past 48 hours about this potentially disastrous bill. Now here’s an update for Thursday, May 28. The latest word via discussions on LinkedIn and emails I’ve received is:
* Senator Averitt’s office has indicated that he will be removing the language that refers to lighting design and lighting designers. He was the author of this provision.
* Governor Perry’s office has indicated that he will veto the bill if it arrives on his desk with the language referring to lighting design and lighting designers.
This is good news. Your efforts are working!
BUT I just got word from IALD that Senator Averitt, the principal sponsor of the “outlaw lighting designers” amendment language, is not willing to drop the issue entirely. He is willing to entertain the idea of referring the whole problem to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation for further study and consideration by the Legislature at its next regular session in January 2011.
In short, this isn’t over yet. We are still in a critical window of time. We need to keep up the pressure.
IALD is telling us today: “The work involved in removing the wording in THB2649 threatening the practice of lighting design in Texas is not complete, but the tactics must now change.”
IALD is advising us to focus our efforts on Senator Averitt:
1. Call Texas Senator Kip Averitt, who introduced the amendments to the bill specific to lighting designers, at 512.463.0122 and let him know your opinion on the bill ASAP.
2. Contact Texas Governor Perry at 512.463.1782 and ask that he veto it.
And of course, if you live in Texas, you should also contact your representative.
There have been reliable reports that the contacts with Rep. Smith’s office have gotten pretty hostile, involving profanity. Please be assertive but not aggressive with the staffers you talk to on the phone. Doing otherwise will hurt more than help.
