CoAuthors for HB 681 - Kuempel?

[ELB]

A few days ago TSRA sent out an email with links to the legislature website showing who was signed on to CoAuthor the Parking Lot and Campus Carry bills, and urging us to get our representatives and senators on board, if not already there.

I dutifully checked to see how my folks were doing and noticed that my rep, John Kuempel, had signed on to the Campus Carry bill, but not the Parking Lot one (HB 681). So I called his Austin office to see what's up. The gal who answered the phone said I would need to speak to his Chief of Staff to get the answer on that, and she was in a meeting for another 30 minutes or so.

I called back a bit later and this time got the Chief of Staff, Britney (sp?), and asked if Kuempel planned on signing on. (I was pleased that I actually got to talk with the Chief of Staff). She said he "had no problem" with the bill, and he "plans to sign on," but he wanted to run it by his employer first to see if he had any problems with it. I thanked her for the info and told her to let him know I really wanted to see him support that bill.

Some background for those not familiar with Kuempel.

His father, Edmund Kuempel, was in the Texas legislature for about 30 years. During the previous session, he had a heart attack in an elevator at the Capitol and had to be revived by some folks on scene via CPR and, I think, AED. He recovered, ran for re-election, and won last November. A couple days after the election, he had another heart attack in a convenience store in Austin, and died. Governor Perry set a special election in December to replace him.

About ten people ran for the seat, including his son, John. John Kuempel won overwhelmingly. He is active in a number of organizations around Seguin, and a member of the NRA. He is employed as a salesman for Commercial Metals Company (CMC) of Seguin. I have noticed on at least one CMC facility a 30.06 sign in the past (haven't checked lately), and even before I called I wondered if this would have an effect on Kuempel's position.


I have to say I was not impressed with the answer his Chief of Staff provided. Kuempel was not elected to represent his employer, he was elected to represent Guadalupe, Wilson, and Gonzales counties.

In general, I think it is a plus that we (Texans) do not have a "professional" legislature, like we do at the national level, as it is more likely to inject some realism into the legislative process. However, it does present some opportunities for conflicts of interest when bills come up that a legislator's employer strongly supports or opposes. This is not to say that it doesn't happen at the national level -- I think a number of the national professional legislators long ago sold their souls to various financial backers. But, this does not necessarily make it grate less at the state level.

I am going to wait a few days, but if I don't see his name pop up pretty soon, will call back to chat. If any of you are in these counties, you might want to keep an eye on this, and call his office to voice your views.

[CWOOD]

He signed on today...2-15-11

[ELB]

Outstanding. Thanks for the update.

[ELB]

I called his office and told the call taker to give him an attaboy for signing on. She seemed surprised and delighted that I called.

[RHenriksen]

Well done! I can relate, we all hear mostly complaints, a positive word is a breath of fresh air

[RoyGBiv]

Wow.. Great story.. Thanks for sharing it..

[ELB]

Little update.

This evening was the annual banquet for the county firefighters' association. Guest speaker turned out to be Representative John Kuempel. During the social hour prior to the dinner he walked up to where my department folks were standing and introduced himself. I shook his hand and noticed that he did a double take on my name tag; it really caught his atttention. We all chatted a moment and of course talk turned to the legislative session.

After a couple minutes we I mentioned to him that I was glad to see he had signed onto the Parking Lot bill, and eventually said I had called his office about it. He said, roughly, yes I thought I recognized your name when I saw the name badge. Told him I was pleased my message got through to him. And I was. (Altho I kind of wished that he had gotten so many messages urging him to sign on that he couldn't remember any particular one!)

He explained that he did go talk to the various business/industrial employers in the county about it, listing CMC and Caterpillar in particular. This I think is fair -- I was concerned earlier when his staffer mentioned only CMC, who he works for as his "day job." It is reasonable to consult with the various constituencies in the district. I just hope he also consults with non-business entities also; wish I'd thought to ask him about that at the time. Seems like there ought to be local TSRA and NRA reps who his office could touch base with... hmmm... thoughts forming.

But in any case he ultimately did the right thing, and seemed to think it should go thru this time. Best wishes to him.

[RHenriksen]

Thanks for the update. I'll keep my fingers crossed (and my speed-dial ready!).