The chairman of the House Transportation Committee said Friday night that he's supicious of a petition being circulated by HillCo Partners, a lobbying firm.

The petition, according to Rep. Joe Pickett (D-El Paso), asked members whether they would support the Local Option Transportation Plan (the thrust of SB 855, now included as an amendment to the Senate version of the TxDOT Sunset Bill, and being heard in conference committee). Pickett said the petition is presented in an open folder for the members to sign, and it's unlikely that a copy is available for that reason.

"I've had members come to me and say 'I signed your deal.' And I said 'what deal?'" Pickett said, adding that he became upset when he could not see who else signed the petition.

Pickett went on to explain that members are being told that a signature equals support for the Local Option Transportation Plan ONLY IF a majority of House members are already in favor of the plan -- a detail that Pickett said is being manipulated to simulate additional House support for the Local Option Plan.

"We'll have a bill that comes back from the conference committee with an up or down vote ... so if you sign that petition, the Senate is going to use that against us by trying to say that there are certain members that are for the bill," Pickett said. "... They're approaching members and omitting a lot of information ... They manipulated it into telling (House members) that they're just trying to get this further down the road."