Do your part and help pass SB 1477, unfortunately
HB 181 did not make it.
People with DA have to deal with discrimination, and are always denied
employment offers. Deferred Adjudication records are currently not expungeable,
and unless the law is changed everyone who is on DA now is locked into
a state of oppression. The records are wide open for everyone to see.
ATTENTION: TRDA Members, Volunteers, &
Website Visitors,
May 16, 2003
ATTENTION: TRDA Members, Volunteers, & Website Visitors,
I know that many of you are wondering what has happened
to House Bill 181 and what its fate is going to be. Currently, the bill
has been left "pending" in the House Law Enforcement Committee,
having been allowed to die there and not advance to the Floor of the House
for a vote by your elected representatives. Several members of TRDA in
good standing donated their time, money, and efforts to go to the capital
in Austin on March 17, 2003 to testify in front of the committee about
how horribly DA has impacted their lives, the lives of their families,
and the lives of many hundreds of thousands of Texans all across our state.
The testimony that we presented to the committee was very succinct, clearly
stated, and very effectively laid out to all of the committee members
so that there was never any doubt that they clearly understood the implications
of DA and how it is wrecking our lives. State Representative Jessica Farrar
then stood up in front of that same committee and told them that the solution
to this problem was to pass House Bill 181 and send it to Governor Perry
for signature. All of this took place on March 17, 2003. Committee Chairman
and State Representative Joe Driver having personally listened to each
and every testimony that day, decided to leave the bill in a "pending
in committee" status, thereby not allowing the bill to go to the
House Floor for a vote by all of our elected state reps. One of our TRDA
members recently contacted Mr. Drivers' office and spoke with one of his
staff to find out why Chairman Driver had allowed the bill to die in committee.
The staff member told us that Mr. Driver would not allow the bill to leave
the committee in "its present form" because he "has some
problems with the bill." What that meant is that Mr. Driver would
not allow the bill to pass through because he wanted Jessica Farrar to
reword the bill to his liking. Mr. Driver insisted that "compromises"
be made to this bill before it would be allowed to leave his committee
for a vote on the Floor of the House.
Just what did Mr. Driver mean regarding that "changes
were going to have to be made?" Here are some possibilities:
(1) Mr. Driver wants to restrict the benefits of the bill
by disallowing some classes of offenses to be able to get their records
sealed, i.e. violent felony offenses, sexual offenses, etc. We felt that
it was fair to discuss that and put it on the table for discussion, and
we told them so on several occasions - yet, Mr. Driver's office was not
communicating with us which would have facilitated that. In other words,
they said they wanted to make some changes to the bill so that it could
go forward, but we never heard from them again. Please make it a point
to let Mr. Driver know that you are disappointed due to the fact that
it was HE who chaired the committee who killed OUR bill that could have
and would have helped get YOUR life back on track!
(2) Another possibility that Mr. Driver wanted to make
changes to the bill was to appease some
of the groups that were against the bill, such as certain lawyers, Texas
media associations who favor complete and unchecked freedom to open records,
and Crime Victims Rights Groups. We feel that we should not have to appease
these groups anymore than we already have! Be sure to let Mr. Driver know
this when you call him!
(3) There are rumors circulating around that Mr. Driver
allowed Representative Jessica Farrar's bill (the same bill that I have
been talking about, House Bill 181) to die in committee as a retaliation
against her stance on some of the legislation that he and his fellow Republicans
wanted to get passed through congress this session. I am neither confirming
nor denying this rumor. I am just informing you, the reader, that is what
I heard from one of my sources in the state legislature. It is up to you
to come to your own conclusions. And before doing so, I urge you to contact
Mr. Driver and see what he has to say about this.
It is my earnest hope that Mr. Driver, who is representative
in the Garland district, will try to remedy this situation. Our last several
attempts to contact his office resulted in him not returning our calls.
Therefore, I cannot state to you what his official reason is for allowing
OUR bill to die in committee. Because of this, you, who have been suffering
from the horrible and lingering effects of deferred adjudication, will
now have to wait two more years before we can even attempt to change the
law - unless, a special session of congress is convened to address this
issue and others that have, up until this point, gone unaddressed.
These are the facts as they happened and it is up to the
reader to make up his/her mind as to how they want to interpret what happened
to the bill:
(1) March 17, 2003 We testified in committee and served
notice to the committee that we supported the bill.
(2) Jessica Farrar, the author of HB 181, testified in committee about
how the bill, in its present
form, would help many hundreds of thousands of people get their lives
back She asked the committee to approve the bill.
(3) Chairman Joe Driver left the bill in a permanent "pending"
status, thereby not allowing the bill to leave committee and go to a full
vote on the floor
(4) Further contact with Mr. Driver's office revealed that they are saying
that Ms. Farrar would not compromise the bill to Mr. Driver's liking,
which, had she done so, would have reduced the effectiveness of the original
intent of the bill, which was to help Texans get their lives back.
(5) So, it boils down to this - who do you believe is telling the truth
here, Joe Driver, who wanted to reduce the scope and effectiveness of
the bill, or Jessica Farrar - who authored the bill and has been our constant
and reliable friend and champion?
There is still approximately 10 days or so left in this
session to get this done. Remember, if we fail to get this bill passed
during this session, it will be at least two years before we will have
another opportunity to help ourselves due to the fact that the legislature
meets only once every two years. We are asking that you contact representative
Driver's office in Austin and let them know how you feel about this bill
being allowed to die in committee and that you want the bill to be resurrected.
If they try to tell you that it is too late in the current session to
get this bill passed,then insist that they convene a special session of
congress
during the summer in order to get this thing done! You have a right to
make yourselves heard and you have a right to request that they convene
a special session! His contact information is:
State Representative and Law Enforcement Committee Joe
Driver Capitol Phone:
(512) 463-0574
If you cannot get through on this line, then call his local district office
in Garland, TX.
(972) 276-1556
REMEMBER - THIS IS YOUR LIFE THEY ARE PLAYING
WITH!
Regards,
A Member and Friend of TRDA
Marty went to the Capitol and testified for
SB 1477
May 7, 2003
by
Valente G.
Marty wrote us, below are a few words from his email to
us.
Wow, That was quick. Just after I sent the last email
out to everyone, I received a telephone call from Senator West about SB1477.
I mean within an hour. SB1477 was voted out of committee today and put
on the uncontested calendar. Lets all pray that it stays there until it
gets voted out of the senate.
Just so everyone knows, the bill could have gone to the senate floor for
a debate and an individual vote. SB1477 was put in a group of bills called
the "uncontested calendar", which means that no one is contesting
it and it will be voted with the whole group of bills they just want to
pass. After it gets voted out of the Senate, the whole process starts
over again in the house.
Remember, what I said in the previous email, rumor has it that most of
the representatives favor SB1477. I talked to Representative Joe Driver
yesterday, one on one, in the elevator of the capitol. He is the chairman
of the Law Enforcement Committee who is sitting on HB181. He told me that
SB1477 "has a real chance" and that is what they are waiting
on. Yeah!!!!
Just to fill everyone in, the Senate Heard My Testimony Last night in
the Committee Hearing on Criminal Justice around 9:30pm. You can view
that testimony and our testimony on March 17 in the House Committee Hearing
on Law Enforcement for HB181 online at www.capitol.state.tx.us under "Live
Broadcast". Valente Gonzales went last week for us and the hearing
was postponed. Thank you Val!
Everyone who participated in sending their testimonies in deserves a round
of applause!!! The timing was perfect. The committee had an entire folder
full of emails and letters of testimony!
Be prepared to do this again in the House Committee and Hopefully to the
Governor when he gets the bill!
Sincerely,
Marty
Wipe The Slate Clean
I will not be able to be at the committee meeting
on Tuesday.
April 29, 2003
Valente G.
I went to the capital but there was no hearing.
April 29, 2003
Valente G.
I am going to the capital.
April 27, 2003
Valente G.
Social Death Sentence if you are on deferred
adjudication
April 27, 2003
Valente G.
The continued problem of job/housing discrimination will
continue until the law is changed; if you are on deferred adjudication
you may have asked your self, “What can I do to find work”?
The question has been asked by many people who are now currently on deferred
adjudication. The truth is, thanks to a system that does not allow people
to regain their civil rights after successful compensation for past crimes.
The system is causing people to slip farther into the social grave, and
into desperate circumstances. Reader, you may be experiencing this now,
and you may be asking your self, “How do I rise from this
bottomless pit”?
I am here telling readers there is hope now for a better
life, but hope in Texas only comes every other year. We will not
have another chance for change in Texas until 2005, we here at
www.deferredadjudication.org are
working very hard to try to spread the message about this issue; however,
it is not our fight alone.
I am personally urging our readers to pick up the phone
and call their state reps. I am urging readers to pick up the phone and
call their friends and family, we want our readers mobilized, and communicating
their thoughts to the governments elected officials.
If we do nothing the we will all die a social death. Who
will feed your children? Who will pay your child support? Who will make
your house payment, and who will pay your taxes? If the government is
asking for all of these things, and it is also preventing you from getting
a job, they are slapping you down, and forcing you to become bums. They
are forcing you to accept your social death. Will you accept your social
death?
Civil Rights for you paranoid people.
April 19, 2003
by
Valente G.
Throughout the last few months, we have had many visitors
to our site. Many of our emails were concerned with the effects of DA.
I have heard many stories about how DA has affected lives. The idea I've
gotten is that many of the people affected by DA have become frightened
by the government, and have expressed doubts about their personal future.
This, along with a bad economy, has created hardships for DA'ers and their
families. To our readers and visitors who have been on DA, please remember
that you still have certain rights and you can still participate in government.
I have scanned in a document that was given to me during my DA. This document
was given to me by the Dept. of community supervision. I am sure many
of you living in Houston have gotten this document, and were told to sign
in by your community supervision officer. Click on Civil
Rights.PDF below to see.
 
Senate Bill 1477 Is Currently Being Discussed...We
Feel That It Should Include The Same Provisions As HB 181....
April 07,2003
By
Valente G.
Senator Royce West reintroduces HB 1415 as SB1477, We support
senator West because he is trying to find a solution to our cause.We
would like to note the major difference between HB181, which calls for
civil penalties against employers/housing leasing authorities ....whereas
as SB 1477 does NOT include this....and we want 1477 to include it! We
urge that the senator would use the text from HB 181 in forging his bill.
We urge all readers to please call and send letters to senator west urging
him to adopt the bill text from HB 181. We do not want to reconcile the
merits of HB 181 in place of SB1477. We want both bills to say the same
thing.
New Meeting Planed for April 7
There will be another meeting to discuss
the issue of Deferred Adjudication. The meeting will be 7pm-8:30pm Monday,
April 7th. At the Northlake library
5001 N. MacArthur Irving, Texas 75038 , in the "Seminar Room"
room 234.
http://www.northlakecollege.edu/nlcl/library.htm
If you are interested in attending, please email Rob Sandifer
Austin Committee
meeting
Mar.19, 2003
By
Valente G.
Several members testified in Austin on March 17th, about
the negative effects of deferred adjudication. Our members drove to Austin
to participate in a committee hearing regarding deferred adjudication
On behalf of TRDA we thank those members for taking part and supporting
State Rep Farrar on the issue of deferred adjudication. The testimony
was effective and masterfully explained by our members. We look forward
to future events like this one.
Meeting in Dallas March
10 starting at 7PM
By TRDA
Mar 3,2003
All who can make it are invited. There
will be a TRDA meeting in Dallas, please attend this meeting if you are
affected by Deferred Adjudication, Rob Sandifer
will be there along with others. The meeting will be held at the Airport
Holiday INN. Click here for more details.
Forum woes,
Mar. 3,2003
by
Valente G.
Our Forum needs to be used more often. Our forum is the
only way that we can express our selves with , and it helps make contact
with others who are in the same situation as ourselves. I urge everyone
to use the forum and make public, questions, fears, and triumphs, we need
to communicate openly, the forum will serve as a great way to facilitate
the free exchange of Ideas.
Sometimes our forum goes down, if that happens and your
messages are lost please repost, we are relying on a free forum board.
" What you get is what you pay for."
Contact us
Feb.12-2003
By
Valente G.
Contacting us will become easier in the coming days. Please
feel free to use our new contact us form on this link Click
here.
WWW.POVERTYUSA.COM
Feb. 7-2002
By
Valente G.
Deferred Adjudication recipients may be on the verge of
poverty already. If we do nothing to fix the problem with our Texas legal
system, then we will be relegated to live in poverty for the rest of our
lives. When you visit my site please take in mind that the state of poverty
keeps growing, and current Deferred Adjudication laws are built specifically
to put you into poverty. Once you get DA it will never be expunged, as
a result you have a greater possibility of entering the state of poverty.
Please check out www.povertyusa.com
This group is advocating for our group. one of the things
they ask for is that individuals "Join a legislative advocacy group
that urges elected officials to enact just social policies." We all
know that DA is not a just social policy. That is why we are asking everyone
to get involved. "Click
Here to read more.
Search for friends begins.
By TRDA Feb 5, 2002
The issue of deferred adjudication has become to us as
an epidemic problem in the state of Texas. The need has been illustrated
to us by a new member. His name is Zach
M, he will be heading up the effort to try to make friends in support
of our cause. The search for friends will be headed up by a 6 member team.
Zach will be the team leader, We would like the team members to communicate
with each other using Yahoo Instant Messenger, and email. Zach
M will be the contact on this effort.
Check out "Double
Jeopardy"
By LAURI APPLE of the Austin Chronicle it ran November
29, 2002
The exposition is, "A long-ago bust gets a city staffer
fired and raises questions about drug policy"
Click
here to read the article. This story is repeated every day in Texas,
many of the people who visit www.deferredadjudcation.org, think they are
safe, and then they lose their jobs. When that happens they find out just
how hard it is to find a job when employers and others are looking at
backgrounds. Some of the most talented people are turned away from employment
because of some petty crime committed many years ago.
Jack the personal motivation coach
Feb 03, 2003
By
Valente G..
We have luckily enlisted a personal motivation coach to help us overcome
the problem of Deferred Adjudication. Jack has posted a message on the
forum board and I think he will be ready to answer posts on the forum
if anyone would like to get in touch with Jack then please post on the
forum.
The space shuttle Colombia
By TRDA Feb 2,2003
 Our
prayers are with those families who our brave astronauts have left behind.
We admire the courage, valor, bravery, and hard work that our astronauts
exhibit.
Our Gov. ,Rick Perry, said "the location of any possible debris should
immediately be reported to local authorities or through the following
number:1-800-525-5555"
Picture provided by NASA
Yahoo group is retired.
Jan 26 2003
By
Valente G..
The yahoo group is now retired, we used the yahoo group as a way to get
our message out, we are now going to retire the group so that we can focus
in on this site as a way to inform and discus issues related to DA. The
main tools we will have are the forum boards and the question and the
guest books.
We need more of you to contact us for support.
Jan 26 2003
By
Valente G..
There has been a great deal of success with our web page, our hit counters
are registering new hits everyday, and the petition letter drive is a
success. Governor Perry's office of constituent services has informed
us that they will take a close look at HB 181 when the bill comes around.
We are hopeful that we can work with the governor to help bring this bill
to pass. This bill will help out Texas in many ways. The benefits are
economic, legal, and political, and medical. As our workforce begins to
reintegrate DA'ers the economy of Texas will benefit.
Petition letter drive has begun!!
Jan 2, 2003
By
Valente G..
We are now asking everyone to send a petition letter to
the governor please do not wait to send your letter, we must all show
him that we support his signature on this bill. The governor will either
make or break this bill please show him that you support him signing this
bill by mailing your letter to the governor today. Click
here to get your petition letter.
Reasons for Deferred Adjudication reform.
Dec 23 2002
By
Valente G.,
Deferred Adjudication does not go away over time, time
does not heal all wounds. To read why we need to have reform Click
Here
We need you
to contact the Gov! click here to see what you can do to help.
The regular session is only from January 14, 2003
- June 2, 2003, if this issue is affecting you please to not wait to act.
Inaction will cause us to have to wait till 2005.
Dec 20,2002
Testimonials are now available.
By Rob Sandifer
Dec 15,2002
Attention everyone, Testimonials are now available for
everyone to see. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of
the submitter but the stories are there for everyone to see. All of these
stories have the same thing in common, they learned they have been law
abiding since, and they have been oppressed, and fear they will be oppressed
for the rest of their lives. Click
Here
Yahoo messenger use it.
Dec 12, 2002
by
Valente G.
Yahoo messenger is now to be designated as TRDA's official
IM software of choice for members to stay in communication with one another.
Please download and install this utility on your computer. after you download
it please add Rob and Valente to your contact list. Click
Here
FCRA (Fair credit reporting act) is not able
to ensure privacy anymore.
Dec. 12, 2002
by
Valente G.
The FRCA protected the Privacy of US citizens.To find out
how it is no longer able to offer the same type of protection. Click
Here
Chat room is now operational
Dec 9, 2002
by
Valente G.
Chat is now available the chat room will play a great role
in future meetings. TRDA chat rooms are open to the public and there will
not require the users to register with a passport or any type of service.
Since we all have different schedules, a posted time for chat room events
will be published in the future, We still need to find out how we will
use them, feel free to experiment with the chat room. Click
here to see it in action.
Forums Are now operational
Dec 6, 2002
by
Valente G.
Our Message forum board is now operational, anyone wanting
to post or ask questions about DA please use the form board. This forum
board will serve as a way to talk about the problems of DA. Please take
the time to post or to search through the forum today. Click
here to visit the forum.
Reader Asks how to Answer Questions on Employment
Applications
Dec 5, 2002
By
Valente G.
Employment applications in Texas can ask about your criminal
history. A member asked how best to answer some of the questions on his
employment application. After a quick look on the Internet I can verify
that the questions that employers ask are in many cases aimed at making
people with DA have to answer yes to criminal history
questions. Another blow to Deferred Adjudication is that the FCRA (Fair
Credit Reporting Act) cannot prevent employers from looking past seven
years. Employers can legally check back as far as they want to disqualify
people from taking jobs.
Click
Here to read more.
It costs one dollar to expose DA records!!
Dec 4,2002
by
Valente G.
A citizen’s past is worth one dollar to Texas employers
who want to open up records on people who have not been convicted of a
crime. For one dollar, thanks to HB1176,
anyone in Texas can expose anyone else’s past indiscretions with
no time cutoff, they are free to go back as far as they want. This openness
of public records is one of the main reasons people who have not been
convicted (Like people with DA) are now having their privacy denied by
current TEXAS law. DA is not a conviction, however, the incident stays
on a citizen’s public record forever. This gives employers the idea
that individuals with DA continue to pose problems, because the records
have never been closed. People can be fired or denied employment at will
by employers under current laws. This kind of reporting can cause Citizens
to become homeless, or to be kicked out of their apartments, or to have
their insurance rates rise. This issue affects people’s earning
potential and it casts a shadow over their lives. Everyone should remember
their past is worth one dollar, and anyone can check your past, even if
you have done nothing wrong and even if you do not have DA or a conviction.
Click here to read more
Texas Exile Web site reaffirms that DA is not
a Conviction.
Dec 4,2002
by
Valente G.
The office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott reaffirms
that Deferred Adjudication is not a conviction. "Texas Exile is a
crime-control initiative that utilizes existing state and federal gun
laws designed to get to the root cause of gun violence - criminals who
illegally use and carry weapons. Texas Exile does so, without infringing
on the rights of law-abiding citizens." Click
Here to read Web site
State Licenses that you will have trouble getting.
November 30,2002
By
Valente G.
All of the forms below need to have "Form
#002 LIC" it reads,"CRIMINAL HISTORY QUESTIONNAIRE
If you have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty or no contest (nolo contendere)
to a misdemeanor or felony, other than a minor traffic violation, or there
is any such charge now pending, the Department must review your criminal
history to determine if you are eligible to obtain a license." Read
More
There are Many Texas Citizens who are affected
by DA. November 30,2002 By Criminal
Justice Policy Council
"There have been 407,099 felony Defendants placed
on the Deferred Adjudication supervision program in Texas since 1988.
The number could be as high as 2,000,000 if we include misdemeanors."
Read
More click here PDF
Look another DA site!!
November 26,2002
By
Valente G.
After Contacting Jessica Farrar Office I found another
Site devoted to correct current DA laws. The site administrator and myself
had a brief phone discussion as to how better to support one another.
His site actually has a registration petition book to offer support to
Legislators on the topic of DA. Rob Sandifer
is also trying to contact the site administrator. While on the phone we
agreed to link each others web pages. So to all of our readers, I am pleased
to present www.wipetheslateclean.com
A new Hope!! House Bill 181
November 22,2002
By Rob Sandifer
Jessica Farrar has reintroduced the bill that would allow
for relief of DA , this time it is getting pre-filed. It will be there
before the legislature actually convenes so that the bill can get to Governor
Perry's desk quicker. Click
here to Read the Bill
We are still going Strong
November 22,2002
By
Valente G.
This site is real. This site came online on September 20th.
We have been in operation pushing the cause of DA relief for many Texans
who are trying to live a quiet life. I have an interest in the relief
of DA punishment. I know that one day our life long curse will be lifted.
I did not think that DA would affect me for the rest of my life, but now
I know it will always be there, unless we change the law it, we will never
be able to be looked upon by employers without contempt. In the months
to come we have much work to do. Please contact Rob Sandifer now and tell
him about your issues. I want to help out, and I am doing my best. What
we need is to tell our representatives how DA is hurting us. We need you
to let others know about the site.
Texas is the only state in the Nation that reports
DA in a way that will affect people in a Job Search. October
12, 2002
The information on the Employment
Law Advisory Network Web Site
calls on employers to treat DA differently. It tells them to rephrase
the questions regarding backgrounds so that a prospective employer has
to answer it. It is really distressful to see that Texas is the only state
in the union to for people on DA to have to report DA sentences. Most
states expunge DAs! Or they have laws that the information regarding DAs
is not public knowledge ,but not Texas..
The way that Texas handles DA means that people who
complete DA and who later try to find a job will not be able to because
employers will seek to hire people without a criminal background.
Again, this happens only in Texas. To read the information from the Employment
Law Advisory Network Web Site. Click
Here
Talk with Jessica
October 6, 2002
By
Valente G.
Rob Sandifer
has has been contacted by Rep Jessica Farrar (jessica.farrar@house.state.tx.us
), she has indicated that she will press very hard for HB1415
(the reform bill for Deferred Adjudication). Our message is getting heard
by many people around Texas.
The next election will determine our futures. If
we do not succeed in 2003 then we will have to wait until 2005 for out
next chance. This Web Page will not advocate for one candidate
or another. We would like to stay out of politics.
However; please note. Rick Perry Vetoed this bill even
though it passed with a house vote of 170 to zero. The bill also
got the support of the Senate. Rick Perry's veto stated his opinion
as to why it would be necessary to keep information about people who stayed
out of trouble, and have been law abiding for 5 and 10 years. His reason
was that it was for public good. Please read his veto click
here.
Texas Legislation for the Reform
of DA
Valente G.
HB1415
would have allow people on deferred who have not re
offended to have a second chance after 5 and 10 years.
|
(Listen
to Audio)
Click Here 
