Rep. Jonathan Stickland does a series through every session called ‘Bad Bill of the Week’, highlighting proposed bills that are horrible policy. It’s a great series that has helped kill over 95% of these bills, some of them significant.
So, in the spirit of that, we will be- as often as is appropriate- designated an new class of bills, ones that are simply downright stupid. The ‘Buffoonery Bill Awards’, for those efforts that are SO bad, SO out of the scope of state government, that they deserve special recognition before thaey die the horrible deaths they deserve. These Idiot bills MAY coincide with Jonathan’s BBOTW, but may not. The first BBA awardee, for example, is a dual winner:
- WINNER 2 – HB412 This one mandates that the Univ. of Texas and Texas A&M play a football game; a ‘rivalry match! I’m sure the College conferences will appreciate dictates from government on who plays who. Rep. Lyle Larson reached deep into idiocy for this one! Maybe it could be sent to be sent to committee to be watered down to a flag football game played with a Nerf football in which players from counties with populations under 500,000 wouldn’t have to play (as a nod to all the rural exemptions added to bills last session).
- WINNER 1 – HB32 Setting up a licensing requirement- with training & fees- for the highly technical business of… buying pecans in bulk. And only is certain counties. This ridiculous over-reach supposedly is to control borer beetles, but it regional aim make it clear it is to hinder specific competitors. Rep. Mary Gonzales is the inaugural Buffoonery Bill winner!
Texas Legislative Watch 