We’ve been scooped by our friends at the National Center for Science Education (NCSE). They just posted this article: “Intelligent design” legislation in Texas again, which says:
House Bill 285, prefiled in the Texas House of Representatives on December 14, 2012, would, if enacted, add a provision to the state’s education code providing, “An institution of higher education may not discriminate against or penalize in any manner, especially with regard to employment or academic support, a faculty member or student based on the faculty member’s or student’s conduct of research relating to the theory of intelligent design or other alternate theories of the origination and development of organisms.”
That sounds familiar. Ah yes, that identical bill was introduced back in 2011, and at that time we wrote Texas’s First Creationism Bill for 2011. Like then, this year’s bill is the work of Bill Zedler. We described him in our earlier post.
Zedler’s new bill is HB 285. The text is the same as his prior bill, except for the effective date. It says:
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 51.979 to read as follows:
Sec. 51.979. PROHIBITION OF DISCRIMINATION BASED ON RESEARCH RELATED TO INTELLIGENT DESIGN. An institution of higher education may not discriminate against or penalize in any manner, especially with regard to employment or academic support, a faculty member or student based on the faculty member’s or student’s conduct of research relating to the theory of intelligent design or other alternate theories of the origination and development of organisms.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013.
As we said the last time this wonder was proposed:
Zedler’s bill isn’t one of those sneaky “academic freedom” jobs that claim to promote “critical thinking” by teaching the “strengths and [alleged] weaknesses” of evolution. No, this bill is a splendid example of straightforward, full-frontal idiocy. It forthrightly says exactly what it means — and nobody needs to lie about the bill’s purpose. For that, Zedler is to be commended. He is one of the rarest of all creatures on this earth — an honest creationist politician. He’s also hopelessly ignorant and possibly insane, but at least he isn’t trying to fool anyone.
You’re probably wondering what happened to Zedler’s bill last time around. Well, it gathered support. For example, see Texas Creationism: WND Supports Zedler’s Bill. But alas for the creationists, Zedler’s 2011 bill failed. NCSE reminds us:
[The bill] died in the House Committee on Higher Education without receiving a hearing when the legislature adjourned sine die on May 30, 2011.
We should also remind you of this post we made at the time: Is Bill Zedler the Dumbest Man in Texas?
The 2013 Texas legislative session begins on 08 Jan and is scheduled to end on 27 May. We look forward to the new bill’s passage and to all the intelligent design research that the great universities of Texas will then conduct. Free at last, free at last!
Hey, Zedler: We suggest that they should start the research by sending a probe to Uranus. The evidence they seek is undoubtedly there.
Copyright © 2012. The Sensuous Curmudgeon. All rights reserved.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
The Sensuous Curmudgeon 
Don’t mess with Texas, it’s pretty messed up already.
Does that mean that Texas institutions must allocate research grants to these idiots, give them aid as RA’s, publish their papers in institutional journals regardless of peer reviews, etc?
If this bill is enacted, look for an exodus of the best science faculty from Texas Universities.
Start packing your bags, Doc Bill.
No worries! It just means that the NSF will compete with Templeton to give out grants. Hey, I wonder if I could swing a Templeton grant? I’m well-qualified – a jackass with no credentials, pathological liar and tall tale teller.
The Discovery Institute of Texas for the Renewal of Science and Culture. Has a nice ring to it.
But back to Zedler, what’s interesting about his bill is that it targets universities rather than K-12 and addresses “restrictions” that don’t exist. The entertainment value of this bill will be very low as it will simply expire in committee – again.
DocBill writes: “Hey, I wonder if I could swing a Templeton grant? I’m well-qualified – a jackass with no credentials, pathological liar and tall tale teller.”
Either that, or go into politics. 😉
Templeton pays better without all the baby kissing.
So, what ya got against babe kissing? (Oh – you wrote “baby kissing”. Never mind.)
alternate theories of the origination and development of organisms
This obviously refers to Scientific Storkism.
Evolutionary biology, as everybody knows, is about changes in populations (including the origins of species), not about the origination and development of individuals.
I specifically wrotea letter too Joe Strauss the Speaker about 6 months ago seeking assurance he’d shut down any Discoveroid fraud in the House in 2013. He wrote back informing me that educational matters are handled by SBOE and directing me to Mavis Knightt, my rep. Joe is a true man of principle. Meanwhile the electorate snoozes or can ‘t grasp the details.
This bill will pass this House. The. ‘ roids (incidentally its rumored Perry has those really bad) at least know how to push their legislation. Texas state govt statements have indicated they don’t think Kitzmiller is the last word on ID