Houston, TX – 02/27/2019 – Today, former Calendars Chairman Todd Hunter and State Rep. Rick Miller signed onto Rep. Joe Moody’s bill (HB 63), which calls for small amounts of possession of marijuana to become a civil, not criminal, penalty in Texas.
The Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas thanks Representatives Hunter and Miller for their leadership on this issue. We can only hope this emboldens other Republican House Members to sign onto this legislation as well. The Republican Party Platform of Texas clearly aligns with the exact intent of Representative Moody’s bill.
Plank 107 of the 2018 Republican Party of Texas Platform reads: “Civil Penalty: We support a change in the law to make it a civil, and not a criminal, offense for legal adults only to possess one ounce or less of marijuana for personal use, punishable by a fine of up to $100, but without jail time.” To date, no Republican House Member has submitted any legislation that meets the objectives of what the platform has called for.
RLCTX Chairman and 2018 RPT Platform Committee Member, Jeff LeBlanc stated, “We urge all of our Republican House Members to seriously consider supporting and signing onto Representative Moody’s bill , which supports the will of the delegates of the Republican Party of Texas and shows support for Plank 107.”
BREAKING – HB 63 has been scheduled a hearing in the House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee for Monday, March 4, 2019 at 2:00 PM Room E2.012. Those wishing to testify on this bill should plan on being in Austin. Additionally, those in attendance for all other activities in Austin can register support of this bill at the kiosk stations in the Capitol Extension.
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