TX 2003 HB 50 Update 07-11-03



		NAC Update Texas 2003 Special Session 01 House Bill 50 July 11, 2003

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	******************************************************************** NATURIST ACTION COMMITTEE UPDATE ****************************************************************** http://www.naturistsociety.com/NAC/ ****************************************************************** DATE : July 11, 2003 SUBJECT: Texas House Bill 50 TO : Texas naturists Dear Texas Naturist, The Naturist Action Committee wishes to make you aware of a development in an important matter. A public hearing on Texas House Bill 50 was held Thursday morning, July 10, by the Public Health Committee of the Texas House of Representatives. If passed into law, HB 50 would require that "[a] youth camp may not operate as a nudist camp." The Texas Board of Health would be required to adopt regulatory standards to enforce the legislative act. THURSDAY'S HEARING NAC and naturists were joined at the hearing by representatives from the Southwestern Sunbathing Association (SWSA). SWSA is a regional affiliate of the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR). Testimony supporting the bill was taken from Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), the lawmaker who introduced HB 50, as well as from a woman who said she provides consulting services to camping-related organizations and couldn't imagine how a nude camp would work. Naturist testimony opposed the bill, carefully explaining the concept of body acceptance and its benefit to naturist youth, as well as the importance of the rights of naturist parents to imbue their children with their chosen values. Naturists also noted that little independent investigation appears to have been done by those promoting the bill, and absolutely no credible evidence had been offered to support the bill's favorable passage by the committee. Rep. Hughes supplied committee members with copies of the June 18 New York Times article that resulted from a public relations effort by AANR and its hired PR firm. Hughes also provided committee members with excerpts from AANR's own web site, which he claimed would bolster his contention that nude youth camps are improper and should be banned. STATUS OF THE BILL No vote was taken by the committee. It's important to note that the Texas legislature is presently meeting in special session. Committees can hold hearings on almost any matter. However, only those topics approved by the Governor in his call for the session, or those added later by the Governor, can be considered for floor votes. At this time, the matter addressed by House Bill 50 has NOT been approved by the Governor for this special session. Rep. Hughes claims to be seeking such approval. MORE INFORMATION** The complete text of HB 50 is available on the web site of the Naturist Action Committee. www.naturistsociety.com/NAC Click on "Legislative Bill Texts." Naturally, Bob Morton Executive Director Naturist Action Committee --------------------------------------------------------------- Naturist Action Committee (NAC) - PO Box 132, Oshkosh, WI 54903 Executive Dir. Bob Morton - <ctnudists@aol.com> Online Rep. Dennis Kirkpatrick - <naturist@sunclad.com> --------------------------------------------------------------- \| Top \| Return to Current NAC Updates \| Return to NAC Home Page \|