Please send a message to members of the Texas House Public Health Committee via this Email Petition and ask them to support HB 91. Please be courteous as this helps to build good relations with the legislature.

DO NOT call committee clerk Rudy England. 

Please attend the hearing at the Capitol on the morning of Tuesday, April 21! A large turnout will show that this bill has grassroots support and will help to counter the opposition from powerful industry groups. 

It can take as little as 15 minutes to register your support at the Capitol, and you can then go on with the rest of your day (see Hearing Logistics, below, for details). If you have time to stay for the hearing itself, you can help pack the room with raw milk supporters for the visual impact on the Committee members.

There are a lot of bills on the agenda for the hearing, so there will be a very limited amount of time to present testimony in support. If you want to testify, please email Judith@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org as soon as possible.

Call or email your State Representative to urge him or her to support HB 91 and help move the bill forward.  

You can find out who your State Representative is by going to www.fyi.legis.state.tx.us or calling the Texas Capitol Switchboard at 512-463-4630.

If you call after hours, you can simply leave a message: "Hi, my name is ____, and I am a constituent. I am calling to urge Representative ______ to co-author HB 91, the raw milk bill, and to help the bill move forward as quickly as possible. I would like to know where my Representative stands on this issue. You may call me back at _________."

It's especially important that you call your representative if she/he is one of the House Public Health Committee members. For Contact Info and zip codes that members represent, see below.

For More Information about the bill, see below.

DATE: Tuesday, April 21, 2015

TIME:  Registration opens at 7 a.m., and the hearing starts at 8 a.m. You can register in support any time until the Committee actually hears the bill; so registration will be open until at least 8:30 a.m., and possibly for some time after that. Updates will be posted on the FARFA Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/FarmAndRanchFreedom

LOCATION:  Capitol Extension, Floor E2, Room E2.012

Maps are available at www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/Plan/FloorPlan/FlorPlan.htm

WHAT TO DO:  Come to Capitol Extension and sign in at one of the kiosks in support of HB 91. You'll be listed on the witness list even if you leave right after that. The witness list is important because, when the bill goes to the full House after the hearing, the Representatives will look to see how many people were witnesses for or against the bill. Just 15 minutes of your time can have a major impact!

If you can stay for the hearing, grab a seat in the hearing room. Simply being there and helping to fill the room with people who are watching will make an impact on the Committee members. There will be yellow lapel stickers available to show who is supporting raw milk.

If you have trouble finding the room the day of the hearing, you can text Lara at 512-632-6400.

SIGNING IN:  The House uses an electronic witness registration system on kiosks located throughout the Capitol Extension. Take the elevator down to Floor E1 or E2, and walk down the main hallway about halfway. Turn down one of the side hallways, then turn again so that you are going parallel to the main hallway. You'll see little alcoves, where there used to be pay phones--the kiosks are in there.

You will need this information with you:

• Bill number:  HB 91 by Flynn
• House Public Health Committee
• The time and location of the hearing: 8 a.m., Room E2.012
• Position: FOR
• Not Testifying

PARKING:  Parking is usually available at the Capitol Visitors Center, located between Trinity and San Jacinto Streets at 12th and 13th. You can find a map and other options also listed at www.tspb.state.tx.us/SPB/Plan/Parking.htm

HB 91 by Representative Dan Flynn would legalize the sale of raw milk by licensed farmers directly to consumers at farmers markets, and allow farmers and consumers to agree to delivery arrangements. 

• Raw milk is already legal in Texas, but unfair marketing restrictions burden both farmers and consumers.
• Only six illnesses have been reported linked to raw milk in Texas in the last 17 years, out of an estimated 750,000 Texans who drink raw milk.
• Texas Grade A Raw for Retail dairies are subject to regulations that meet or exceed all regulatory standards for pasteurized milk. 
• HB 91 simply allows licensed farmers to sell raw milk at farmers' markets and through delivery arrangements. Sales are limited to direct farm-to-consumer and will NOT be allowed in grocery stores.
• HB 91 improves the safety of raw dairy by allowing producers to transport it to consumers under safe conditions, rather than relying on consumers to remember to take coolers and ice.
• By allowing a farmer to make a single trip to serve multiple customers, rather than having each customer drive to the farm, the bill reduces vehicle miles, benefiting air quality, traffic congestion, and public safety.
• HB 91 benefits rural economies because direct farm-to-consumer sales of raw milk can mean the difference between a net loss on the farm and a reasonable income for the farm family.

If you live in the district of one of the Committee members, please take the time for a personal call and be sure to mention that you're a constituent and get as many of your friends and neighbors to call and email as possible! Constituents carry the most weight with the Committee members.

Chairwoman Myra Crownover (part of Denton County - Zip Codes 75065, 76201, 76205, 76207, 76208, 76210, 76226, 76227, 76234, 76249, 76258, 76259, 76266)

512-463-0582

Myra.Crownover@house.state.tx.us

Cesar Blanco (part of El Paso County - Zip Codes 79903, 79905, 79906, 79907, 79915, 79916, 79925, 79927)

512-463-0622

Cesar.Blanco@house.state.tx.us

Garnet Coleman (part of Harris County - Zip Codes 77002, 77003, 77004, 77006, 77007, 77010, 77019, 77021, 77033, 77048, 77061, 77075, 77087, 77089, 77098)

512-463-0524 

Garnet.Coleman@house.state.tx.us

Nicole Collier (part of Tarrant County - Zip Codes 76012, 76102, 76103, 76104, 76105, 76107, 76110, 76111, 76112, 7615, 76119, 76120, 76133, 76134, 76140)

512-463-0716

Nicole.Collier@house.state.tx.us

Sarah Davis (part of Harris County - Zip Codes 77002, 004, 005, 006, 007, 008, 019, 024, 025, 027, 030, 046, 056, 057, 081, 096, 098, 401)

512-463-0389

Sarah.Davis@house.state.tx.us

Bobby Guerra (part of Hidalgo County - Zip Codes 78501, 78503, 78504, 78539, 78572, 78573, 78574, 78577)

512-463-0578

Bobby.Guerra@house.state.tx.us

Rick Miller (part of Fort Bend County - Zip Codes 77083, 77099, 77406, 77407, 77459, 77469, 77471, 77477, 77478, 77479, 77498)

512-463-0710

Rick.Miller@house.state.tx.us

Elliott Naishtat  (part of Travis County - Zip Codes 78701, 78703, 78704, 78705, 78712, 78731, 78735, 78745, 78746, 78751, 78752, 78756, 78757, 78758, 78759)

512-463-0668

Elliott.Naishtat@house.state.tx.us

J.D. Sheffield (Comanche, Coryell, Erath, Hamilton, McCulloch, Mills, San Saba, and Somervell counties)

512-463-0628

J.D.Sheffield@house.state.tx.us

Bill Zedler (part of Tarrant County - Zip Codes 76001, 76002, 76017, 76028, 76036, 76060, 76063, 76123, 76134, 76140)

512-463-0374

Bill.Zedler@house.state.tx.us

John Zerwas (part of Fort Bend County - Zip Codes 77082, 77083, 77406, 77407, 77423, 77435, 77441, 77450, 77471, 77485, 77493, 77494, 77498)

512-463-0657

John.Zerwas@house.state.tx.us