| As reported by the Austin American Statesman, Rick Santorum is holding a fundraiser here in Austin tomorrow morning. State Representatives Paul Workman (R-Austin) and Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) are hosting the event tomorrow at the Headliners Club downtown. Santorum is most commonly known for his gay bashing, religious beliefs, and having supporters of his think that women should put aspirin between their knees as a form of birth control (a slight upgrade from the chastity belt I guess).
Workman, one of the hosts for the fundraiser, rode into the Texas House on the coattails of Donna Campbell, one of the more formidable challengers (although unsuccessful) to Congressman Lloyd Doggett during the Tea Party wave in 2010's mid-term elections.
Workman owns his own commercial construction business, so naturally one of the first bills he filed while in office created a statute of limitations on when someone can sue a construction company, so if there was a fatal accident after ten years, the construction company is quite safe from legal damages. The bill was HB 958, and luckily it did not go far in the House. Basically the bill capped the damages at 10 percent each year after construction was built, so after ten years you can't sue the construction company if something happens and it turns out the construction company was at fault.
The next bill Workman filed, instead of continuing to limit the ability to sue, actually expands the ability to sue by eliminating the doctrine of sovereign immunity (the law saying people can't sue the state, the president, or the king etc.). The bill, HB 1041, actually allows contractors to sue the State of Texas by waiving the doctrine of sovereign immunity. Why would a contractor want to sue the State of Texas, what with all the money we (don't) have right now? Because if the state doesn't contract with Workman's company he can sue the state for discrimination. I guess being a rich old white man is such an ungrateful plight.
To be clear, Workman doesn't want people to sue construction companies (like his, even if they are at fault), but he wants construction companies to be able to sue the State of Texas. Makes perfect sense.
It's hard to know where Workman stands on the average person's rights, but it's pretty clear where he stands on the rights of large commercial real estate construction companies. Workman's district is filled with tons of real estate opportunities. It is a rapidly growing part of Austin, and a lot of new homeowners and businesses live around there, so Workman was definitely looking to the future when he filed these pieces of legislation.
It's good Paul Workman is in public service, so he can look out for the people who matter most: himself.
If you have 500 dollars feel free to stop by the Headliners Club tomorrow morning and say hi to Mr. Workman. If you're in the construction business I'd thank him for protecting your rights, except of course, if you're a construction worker. |
