Texas Legislative update: Please help out if you live in Texas

[SteveH]

Reached out to my State Legislators today. Wish my work schedule allowed me to go to Austin in the morning, but sadly it does not. Good luck to those who do!!!

 

[brianman]

basically said that the law was created to protect incumbent dealerships from manufacturers coming in possibly harming their business however, Tesla has never had any dealerships so this should not apply to them.

Sorry for the slightly off-topic, but I was curious...

If this argument was deemed to have legal merit in, say, 2005, then would larger automakers that filed for bankrupty be similarly unaffected by this legislation? Or would they formally have to close their doors and re-open as a brand new company (new name, reincorporate, etc.) to accomplish that?

 

[dsm363]

Sorry for the slightly off-topic, but I was curious...

If this argument was deemed to have legal merit in, say, 2005, then would larger automakers that filed for bankrupty be similarly unaffected by this legislation? Or would they formally have to close their doors and re-open as a brand new company (new name, reincorporate, etc.) to accomplish that?

If they had shed all their dealerships at the time, they would be affected as well but they all chose to reinitiate the relationship (they did cast of some dealerships though). I think that is correct.

 

[ggies07]

So how long does this meeting/voting take?

 

[stephenpace]

Voting just takes a few seconds. In the Senate you just filled out a card and you could leave after that. The room opened around 7:45am and voting stopped at 8am when the meeting started. There were a few other bills then the one we cared about, I stopped watching around 9:15am when our part was over. The House bill is now scheduled for next Wednesday and I think I'm going to try and make it.

For next time, unless it is a legal trap of some kind, I'd like the see the Tesla lawyer answer more definitively if the bill was legal under NAFTA. Both Diarmuid O’Connell from Tesla and the lawyer said they thought it wasn't illegal, but I think the committee was looking for something a bit more definitive than that.

 

[ggies07]

Voting just takes a few seconds. In the Senate you just filled out a card and you could leave after that. The room opened around 7:45am and voting stopped at 8am when the meeting started. There were a few other bills then the one we cared about, I stopped watching around 9:15am when our part was over. The House bill is now scheduled for next Wednesday and I think I'm going to try and make it.

For next time, unless it is a legal trap of some kind, I'd like the see the Tesla lawyer answer more definitively if the bill was legal under NAFTA. Both Diarmuid O’Connell from Tesla and the lawyer said they thought it wasn't illegal, but I think the committee was looking for something a bit more definitive than that.

I see. So did it pass in the Senate?

 

[stephenpace]

First it has to make it out of committee, and then it goes up to the entire Senate. Not sure on those dates, but I'm sure they will get posted here.

 

[rakeshtx]

So did it make it out of committee then? If you were there Stephen, any photographs?

 

[dsm363]

It was interesting. The 4 people supporting the dealer lobby had very weak arguments of course but had a few friends on the committee. I don't think they've voted on it yet.

The House meeting is now on Tuesday, likely in the afternoon around 1:30PM or so (this is preliminary time only).

 

[stephenpace]

If the day switches to Tuesday I may be able to make it. Here is the live footage of the hearing:

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/ramav.php?ram=00005872

The Electric Car part starts at 23m40s. RealPlayer is required.

 

[TXjak]

House Bill 3351 is scheduled for a hearing by the Business & Industry Committee on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 1:30 pm in E2.014.

Elon Musk will testify.

John

 

[ggies07]

If the day switches to Tuesday I may be able to make it. Here is the live footage of the hearing:

http://www.senate.state.tx.us/avarchive/ramav.php?ram=00005872

The Electric Car part starts at 23m40s. RealPlayer is required.

Thanks! Who's the dingbat that is saying he wouldn't mind going to a dealership and that he would be worried about no service centers? There are service centers, ah, the ill-informed.

 

[dsm363]

Thanks! Who's the dingbat that is saying he wouldn't mind going to a dealership and that he would be worried about no service centers? There are service centers, ah, the ill-informed.

Was the guy who owned 16 dealerships with one of them being a Fisker dealership? He was the 4th one to speak and the one the chair told to stop talking because his time was up.

 

[stephenpace]

The fourth guy from the dealers to speak at the Senate hearing was David Stein of the Roger Beasley Import Highline Group (http://www.rogerbeasley.com/). One of his dealerships is http://www.fiskeraustin.com/, or at least was. Fisker dying doesn't help him. He had the nerve to try and raise safety issues--get his own house in order first! He said he was unsure if Tesla had really passed their crash tests. Hmm, maybe he should ask NHTSA instead of Google. As a dealer, he should know that.

 

[ggies07]

Was the guy who owned 16 dealerships with one of them being a Fisker dealership? He was the 4th one to speak and the one the chair told to stop talking because his time was up.

He was the guy to ask the first question at the beginning of the 23 minute mark.

- - - Updated - - -

The fourth guy from the dealers to speak at the Senate hearing was David Stein of the Roger Beasley Import Highline Group (http://www.rogerbeasley.com/). One of his dealerships is http://www.fiskeraustin.com/, or at least was. Fisker dying doesn't help him. He had the nerve to try and raise safety issues--get his own house in order first! He said he was unsure if Tesla had really passed their crash tests. Hmm, maybe he should ask NHTSA instead of Google. As a dealer, he should know that.

Hmm....so he's protecting his business eh? And that's not another interference with how Texas is supposedly a free market? man.

 

[TXjak]

House Bill 3351 is scheduled for a hearing by the Business & Industry Committee on Tuesday, April 9, 2013, at 1:30 pm in E2.014.

Elon Musk will testify.

John

Here's who is on the committee, with links to each of their home pages on the Texas House of Representatives Website.

House Committee on Business & Industry

Chair:	Rep. René Oliveira
Vice Chair:	Rep. Dwayne Bohac
Members:	Rep. Rob Orr
	Rep. Eddie Rodriguez
	Rep. Jason Villalba
	Rep. Armando Walle
	Rep. Paul Workman

 

[dsm363]

Telsa is really putting on the full court press here which is nice. Just sent out an e-mail at least to all Texas calling for support at this event on Tuesday.

 

[stephenpace]

Many reps have Twitter or Facebook profiles you can communicate with. You can find out similarities between yourself and the reps on their Texas Tribune entry to try and find common ground. Perhaps you went to the same school as them? Or live in the same city? And then let them know how you feel.

Chair: Rep. René Oliveira (D-Brownsville) @ReneOOliveira
Vice Chair: Rep. Dwayne Bohac (fb, no twitter)

Members: Rep. Rob Orr (R-Burleson) (no twitter)
Rep. Eddie Rodriguez (D-Austin) @TXRepERodriguez
Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) @jasonvillalba
Rep. Armando Walle (D-Houston) @RepWalle
Rep. Paul Workman (R-Austin) @paulworkman



State Rep. René Oliveira | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Dwayne Bohac | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Rob Orr | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Jason Villalba | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Armando Walle | The Texas Tribune
State Rep. Paul Workman | The Texas Tribune

 

[Zythryn]

Good luck to all you Texans, I'm pulling for you (as I am sure we all are)!
One note to the argument 'what would owners do if Tesla went bankrupt, how would they service their cars?'.
Fisker seems to be running into that issue even with the 'benefit' of dealers.
Fisker warranty no longer valid - Fisker Buzz Forums

 

[jed-99aggie]

Here is a copy of the communication I sent to my congressman and separately a congressman that my wife knows (in case you find inspiration from them):

Representative Elkins,

This contact is in follow up to my correspondence of April 1, 2013 and is to reaffirm my interest in and ask for your support for HB3351, filed by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez.

This bill will be in hearing tomorrow April 9 before proceeding through the legislative process. Your continued support for this bill is requested.

I am a strong believer in a free market, know that this legislation will have a positive impact on constituents of your district as well as citizens of Texas at large, and believe that this will contribute to the growth of the Texas economy.

This bill is more than just support for free enterprise, energy independence and support of the American manufacturing sector.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this topic. I appreciate your time and valuable support in this matter.

Regards,
__________________________

Representative Workman,

This contact is to ask for your support for HB3351, filed by Rep. Eddie Rodriguez.

This bill will be in hearing tomorrow April 9 before proceeding through the legislative process. Our representative does not sit on the House Committee on Business & Industry. We have made contact with Rep. Elkins directly to express our interest and support for this bill.

My wife ____, was a teammate with (your daughter) at Westlake. We are both graduates of Texas A&M. Your support tomorrow during the hearing and continued through the legislative process is greatly appreciated.

We are strong believers in a free market, know that this legislation will have a positive impact on the citizens of Texas, and believe that this will contribute to the growth of the Texas economy.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this topic. I appreciate your time and valuable support in this matter.

Regards and Gig'em,

- - - Updated - - -

Also, here is a copy of my follow up to my Senator who was disappointing last week during the SB1659 hearing (again for inspiration):

Senator Patrick,

This contact is in follow up to my correspondence of April 1, 2013 (including the hearings of April 3) and is to reaffirm my interest in and ask for your reconsidered support for SB 1659, filed by Sen. Craig Estes.

After reviewing the hearings, I was disappointed to learn of your criticisms of the proposed bill.

The current dealership experience leaves a great amount to be desired for the end consumer. The approach brought to bear by Tesla (and in existence in other states) has completely redesigned the end customer buying and service experience, directly to the benefit of the buyer (your constituent).

Additionally reflecting on the testimonies and bill's signed role call at the end of the hearing; the only entities registering against the bill were dealers, not end consumers. However the proposed bill specifically acknowledges that auto manufacturers with an established dealer model are beyond the scope of this bill (which is in alignment with the original intent of the existing legislation.)

This bill is more than just support for: the end consumer, free enterprise, energy independence and the American manufacturing sector.

I am a strong believer in a free market, know that this legislation will have a direct positive impact on constituents of your district as well as citizens of Texas at large, and believe that this will contribute to the growth of the Texas economy.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this topic. I appreciate your time and future support in this matter as it moves through the legislative process.

Regards,