FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RLCTX issues statement on liberty activist jailed for recording state committee meeting.
www.rlctx.net – Houston, Texas – March 23, 2017
An open government is the bedrock of a free society. For decades, Texas has had some of the strongest open government laws in the nation – laws ensure that Texans can know what their government is doing and how their government makes the decisions that affect their lives.
A 2005 recipient of the James Madison Award for his unwavering commitment to open government, Greg Abbott has championed greater transparency throughout his administration. He has supported bills passed by the Texas Legislature to bring the Open Meetings Act into the 21st Century, to require public officials to undergo training in Texas’ open government laws and to open the investment of public funds to more scrutiny.
Therefore:
Whereas open meetings of the Texas House State Affairs Committee are required to be held under Chapter 551,
Whereas Texas State Representative Byron Cook did violate Section 551.023 of the Texas Government Code, which allows any person attending an open meeting to record the meeting by means of a video camera, recorder, or similar device, subject to reasonable restrictions, by limiting recording of the Texas House State Affairs Committee to only members of credentialed media,
Whereas Byron Cook further violated the rights of Amy Hedtke by requesting that she be removed from that meeting unless she cease recording the meeting,
Whereas several officers of the Texas Department of Public Safety further violated the rights of Amy Hedtke by physically removing her from the committee meeting, placing her under arrest, and charging her with Criminal Trespass,
Therefore be it resolved, that the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas condemns the actions of Texas State Representative Byron Cook, and considers him unfit to serve in the capacity of a chairman of a Texas House Committee until such time as he accepts that such committees are subject to Section 551.023 of the Texas Government code and issues a public apology to Amy Hedtke,
And be it further resolved that the Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas also condemns the actions of the Texas Department of Public Safety, and demands that all criminal charges against Amy Hedtke be dismissed, and that members of the Texas Department of Public Safety receive remedial training in the correct application of Section 551 of the Texas Government Code, and that the Texas Department of Public Safety issue a public apology to Amy Hedtke.
Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas
Jeff LeBlanc – Chairman
chairmanrlctx@gmail.com
PO Box 2684
Dayton, TX 77535
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To whom it may concern,
Let it be known that the members of the Ellis County Libertarian Party stand in solidarity with RLCTX in their efforts to bring about transparency. We may not agree on certain policies, but one thing we stand firmly united on is that our representatives are our servants, entrusted with a great deal of power. Given our knowledge of the corrupting influence of such power, absolute transparency is required for our continued consent to be governed. Let it be known that we at the Libertarian party will never let party politics stand in the way of supporting the citizens of our state. Amy Hedtke has done a great deal to further liberty within our county, and all without the bloated salary of an elected representative. Therefore we stand with RLCTX in demanding the suspension of Byron Cook as well as the areating officers of the TXDPS until such time as corrective training and an official apology can be obtained.
As long as elected officials and police officers get a slap in the wrist and minimal punishment for breaking the law, we will never have liberty. Yes, Byron Cook should publicly apologize but he should also be removed as chairman of the committee for his blatant violation of her civil rights. The DPS officers need to be held accountable. She read the law to them several times. They didn’t arrest her. That’s kidnapping.