TPPF Urges Members to Oppose House Bill 2512

TPPF recommends that the Texas Senate oppose House Bill 2512 which would erode the ETJ release process established by last session’s signature reform, Senate Bill 2038. If HB 2512 is passed into law, Texans in certain areas will be trapped under the thumb of a city government that they did not elect nor can they influence.

Further, the passage of this bill may establish a precedent that other municipalities seek to expand in future legislative sessions. This potentiality should concern us all, as it threatens to restore a type of regulation without representation and deprive Texans of political representation.

As TPPF recently argued before the Texas Supreme Court, the ETJ concept violates the Texas Constitution’s guarantee of a republican form of government and deserves to be abolished. Absent that goal, the Texas Legislature jealously guard the ETJ protections established last session so that no Texan is stuck in a system that bars them from effective political representation.

For these reasons, TPPF urges the Texas Senate to vote “NO” on HB 2512 and protect ETJ residents’ right to vote with their feet.