Under a bill by Texas State Representative Geanie W. Morrison (R- Victoria), co-authored by Rep. Ron Simmons (R-Carrollton), rulings by judges in judicial bypass cases will no longer be kept from the public. Such rulings would be included in a report by the Texas Office of Court Administration which is made public annually. The name of the minor involved would be kept anonymous.
Pastors and their sermons have moved one step closer to protection under Texas law. State Senator Joan Huffman (R-Houston) received unanimous approval for Senate Bill 2048, a bill necessitated by the actions of Mayor Annise Parker when she issued subpoenas to
Students in Galveston at Texas A&M University were shocked to find that their management professor, Irwin Horwitz, failed a majority of the 2015 spring class.
The Texas State Senate on Tuesday passed an omnibus bill including many of the initiatives from Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s emergency item on ethics reform. In his State of the State Address in February, the Governor repeated a campaign promise to address transparency and ethics in Texas government. Tuesday marked delivery on that promise.
A challenge to Texas voter identification law will be heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Tuesday. A three judge panel that includes two Democratic appointees will hear the case. One of the judges is a federal district court judge from the Eastern District of Texas who is sitting by designation.
Dan Golvach, told a Texas Senate Border Security subcommittee last week that what he has learned from his son’s murder by an illegal alien is it is “glaringly evident, that the federal government does not seem to be very invested in securing the border.” His testimony came during National Crime Victim’s Rights Week which was observed April 19th – 25th. Other witnesses urged Texas legislators to pass an interstate compact bill because the federal government has failed to do their job “to protect our families.” They testified about the “catastrophic loss” they have faced because of a porous border.
A bill is set to go before the Texas State House of Representatives Monday that would protect individuals from body cavity searches by peace officers unless a search warrant has been issued by a magistrate. The bill, authored by Rep. Harold Dutton (D-Houston), is designed to address incidents in Texas where law enforcement officers conducted body cavity searches during a traffic stop. The bill, H.B. 324, defines “body cavity search” as an inspection that is conducted of a person’s anal or vaginal cavity in any manner.
A bill in the Texas legislature that would mandate government employers provide accommodations for working mothers who pump breast milk, is one step closer to final passage in the State House of Representatives. A voice vote on the measure sailed through the House on Thursday on a second reading and appears on its way to passing.
Four Texas State House Republicans sided with Democrats yesterday and voted against a pro-life amendment to H.B. 2510 which would have banned abortions after 20 weeks where there is an alleged genetic disability of the fetus. The amendment, offered by Rep. Matt Schaefer (R-Tyler), passed by a vote of 83-46.
A police body camera bill passed in the Texas Senate on Thursday by a split vote of 22-8, but faces the Texas State House which has two of its own bills. The bill does not mandate that Texas peace officers use body cams, but mandates uniformity of policies by those using the cameras provided by a grant. The eight Senators that voted against the bill were all Republicans.
Twenty-nine Kansas government employees have been charged with bribery and other crimes in connection with providing fake drivers licenses to undocumented workers. A retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent told 41 KSHB Action News that issuing fake licenses could lead to a wide range of fraud and other criminal activity, including terrorist activity. The undocumented workers allegedly paid $2,500 to obtain these fake drivers licenses.
HOUSTON, Texas– Houston attorneys Kent Schaffer and Brian Wice were appointed today to serve as Collin County Criminal District Attorneys Pro Tem (Latin for temporary) to “assist in the investigation and, if warranted, the prosecution of Ken Paxton for the securities law complaints currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers.” Texas State District Court Judge Scott J. Becker, Local Administrative Judge for Collin County, Texas made this appointment pursuant to the authority of Article 2.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure.
Pastors from all over Texas are descending upon the Texas Capitol today to support a Texas House Bill that protects the rights of certain religious organizations and individuals when refusing to perform or to recognize a gay marriage. The Texas Pastor Council has issued a Call to Action for “Pastors At The Capitol” for Wednesday, April 22nd. They will be attending the House State Affairs Committee hearing on H.B. 3567 to “begin challenging the false narrative of the Texas Association of Business that Texas can’t be both business friendly and protect the religious freedom of the people.” The Texas Pastor Council is a part of the United States Pastor Council (USPC).
The States of Kansas and Arizona, and the Secretaries of State from those respective states filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari in the United States Supreme Court Tuesday asking the Court to hear a case involving the issue of noncitizens illegally registering to vote in elections in the United States.
University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall has requested an Attorney General Opinion less than one month after he was rebuked but not indicted by a Travis County Grand Jury. Hall requested the opinion on the authority of the University of Texas Board of Regents to prohibit a regent from accessing University records. He requested records from the investigation by Kroll Associates into University admission practices. The findings were released in February. The Regent has been in a battle with University leaders and Texas legislators over his inquiries into the admissions practices at the University.
Two Texas police officers from the Mesquite Police Department rushed into a burning car and, with the help of a bystander, saved the driver’s life by pulling him to safety. The vehicle was engulfed in flames as the officers arrived on the scene. Quick and decisive action by the officers saved the driver’s life.
Blue Bell Creameries has issued yet another recall. This time, the recall has been expanded to include off of its products manufactured in all of its facilities. The voluntary recall comes after expanded testing of its product line. The new tests revealed the Listeria bacteria in one of its half-gallon containers of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream.
Boston Marathon bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory DiMartino posted on her Facebook page – “This is the day.…I take my life back.” The Texan donned her “Rebekah Strong” shirt and joined nearly 30,000 runners in the Boston Marathon. She ran the last 3.5 miles of the race with her trainer who is also an amputee. As she crossed the finish line, she collapsed to the ground and began to cry.
Glenn Ford was released after serving 30 years on death row when the Caddo District Attorney asked that the man’s conviction and sentence be set-aside. The District Attorney found new evidence about the actual gunman after an investigation into another homicide. The attorney who prosecuted apologized for his part in not looking under every rock for the evidence. The man’s release was extensively covered by the media but the murder victim’s family want people to know “Glenn Ford is not an innocent victim.”
The Texas State Senate passed a bill on Thursday that would move pubic integrity cases out of Travis County. The bill passed 20-11 on partisan lines.
A chief and assistant fire chief were arrested by Texas Rangers Thursday for tampering with witnesses in connection with the Waxahachie Volunteer Fire Department sexual assault case. Five firefighters were arrested earlier this week for charges of sexually assaulting a new recruit with a chorizo sausage. A woman, who is not a firefighter, was arrested and charged for videotaping the act with her cellphone.
Kent William Sprouse, 42 years-of-age, was put to death at 6:33 CST on April 9, 2015 in Huntsville, Texas, for fatally shooting Ferris Police Officer Harry Marvin “Marty” Steinfeldt III. The murder occurred at a Ferris, Texas, Diamond Shamrock gas station and food mart on October 6, 2002. Sprouse is the fifth Texas death row inmate to be executed this year. There were no late-filed appeals to stop the execution.
Judge Andrew Hanen has issued a scathing written rebuke directed at government lawyers and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for their misrepresentations made in the case filed against President Obama’s executive amnesty plan. He has ordered the Government to produce related documents by April 21st. He also warned the government against destroying any of this evidence.
HOUSTON, Texas — A Katy, Texas, man told Breitbart Texas that he is willing to go to jail rather than concede to a violation of his First Amendment speech rights and his property rights. He is facing contempt if he does not turn over his Facebook password to a federal judge in Houston, Texas by noon, Wednesday, April 8th. Jeremy Alcede says former business owners who took the business over in a hostile takeover, are trying to silence his comments about what has happened as a result of the takeover.
Five male volunteer firefighters from Waxahachie, Texas have been arrested for sexually assaulting a new recruit with a chorizo sausage. Affidavits state the man said the firefighters initially tried to assault him with a broom stick. The event was videotaped and according to WFAA-TV, an affidavit states the video shows the firefighters “yelling and laughing with excitement.” The television station reported that the Texas Rangers are calling it a hazing incident.
