AUSTIN, Texas — Governor Greg Abbott asked the Legislature to increase penalties for those convicted of human smuggling incidents. The state has seen a spike in attempts as criminal organizations expand their use of social media to recruit smugglers, Abbott told Breitbart Texas.
Leaders of Texas’ executive and legislative branches met on Saturday to protect Texans from an expected spike in their energy bills. The meeting took place via a conference call attended by the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house, and key legislative committee chairs.
As millions of Texans were left in the darkness and cold during a massive winter storm, Texas leaders began pointing fingers and calling for investigations. The Texas Legislature will now address reform of the state’s electrical grid as an “emergency item” and seek answers as to why electric producers and distribution systems failed miserably.
Texas leaders are scrambling to find out why the state’s power grid was ill-prepared to deal with electrical generation during this week’s massive winter storm. The grid’s energy production failures left millions without electricity, heat, and in some cases, water.
A Democrat State Representative filed a bill this week to modify the Texas Castle Doctrine law. The bill would require homeowners to be “unable to safely retreat” before using deadly force.
Voters in Texas sustained the Republican majority in the state’s House of Representatives despite millions of outside dollars poured into races.
Texas House of Representatives member Gene Wu (D-137) lamented on Twitter Friday evening that it would be “hard to serve a prison sentence” if President Donald Trump dies of Coronavirus. Not long after, the tweet was deleted and replaced with well wishes for a full recovery. The southwest Houston politician did not offer an apology for the original statement.
The Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election for the next session. The statement follows crumbling support among top Republican leaders and the release of a recording from a meeting that seems to confirm allegations of wrongdoing in June.
A political writer released the long-awaited recording of a meeting he held with the two top Texas Republican House leaders. The tape replays what has been alleged to be a quid pro quo offer from the Speaker of the Texas House in exchange for political action against certain legislators by the writer’s political action committee.
The Texas House General Investigating Committee voted to request an investigation into allegations made against the Speaker of the House and the Republican Caucus Chairman. The accusations stem from a June 12 meeting in the Capitol where the House Speaker and Republican Caucus chairman allegedly made a quid pro quo offer to an activist in exchange for political action against fellow House members.
A Texas Republican legislator reportedly listened to a recording of a meeting between a Texas political activist and two leaders of the House in which an alleged bribery attempt took place. The legislator said the recording confirms the allegations of wrongdoing by the speaker and the chairman of the House Republican Caucus on June 12.
Two key Republican leaders are largely remaining silent on allegations of serious legal and ethical improprieties leveled by a conservative political organization’s leader. The allegations involve promised use of official power from elected officials in exchange for political favors to include government-issued media credentials.
The Texas Legislature passed a bill to make red light cameras illegal in the Lone Star State. The Governor signed the bill on Saturday and placed it into law. Existing cameras can stay in place until the local jurisdictions contract with the supporting companies expire.
Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus (R-San Antonio) made a surprise announcement on Wednesday morning that he will not seek another term in the state’s House of Representatives. He will be retiring from both his position as speaker and as the representative for District 121.
Texas took its fight for the State’s new anti-sanctuary jurisdiction ban to the appellate courts. A judge appointed by then-President Bill Clinton blocked the law’s prohibition on ignoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and provisions that address policies that “materially limit” the enforcement of federal immigration laws.
Members of the Texas House introduced a series of bills in an apparent attempt to obstruct the conservative agenda set by Governor Greg Abbott. The Texas Constitution states that there shall be no legislation on subjects other than those designated by the governor in his proclamation calling for the special session.
The Texas Senate voted to say no to boys entering the girls’ bathrooms, showers and changing rooms in schools across the state. The 21 to 10 vote came down along party lines, as expected.
Democrat law enforcement officials in Texas traveled to the State Capitol to protest the bathroom privacy bill.
The mayor of a Texas border town says he voted for President Donald Trump and is against sanctuary city policies, but he is not for a border wall.
The Mexican government entered the court battle over Texas’ new sanctuary city ban by filing an “affidavit of concern.”
The Trump Administration is going to enter the battle on Texas’ sanctuary city ban and will fight against Democrats and open borders advocates. The law has some of the “stiffest penalties in America” against officials who ignore immigration detainers and release criminal aliens in defiance.
Nearly three out of five Texas voters believe local law enforcement officials should be required to cooperate with immigration authorities according to a new poll. The survey also finds that voters believe local police should have the right to ask about immigration status.
A construction company and the chairman of the U.S. Hispanic Contractors Association are complaining that illegal workers are leaving the state because of Texas’ tough stance on immigration law.
The one-year anniversary of the execution deaths of five Dallas police officers is just weeks away but the state of Texas has already responded by making it a hate crime to kill officers. The new law also applies to crimes against judges. The signing of the law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott comes just weeks after the passage of the Thin Blue Line Act by the U.S. House.
A woman in a Houston area suburb was shocked when a man with a child in a stroller started filming her in a Target dressing room. She was even more shocked when no one near the fitting room came to her aid while she was screaming.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill into law Tuesday which not only bans dismemberment abortion in the state; it prohibits the purchase or sale of baby body parts. The law also requires that aborted remains be disposed of in a humane and respectful way.
The Texas Legislature ended its 85th session, passing seven pro-gun bills. Governor Greg Abbott promptly signed two of them into law. The body also protected gun owners’ rights by blocking five anti-gun bills.
The Texas border county of El Paso filed a federal lawsuit last week against the State to stop the “sanctuary” cities ban from going into effect, alleging the new law is unconstitutional, discriminatory, and impedes public safety efforts.
Texas State Representative Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving) claimed to have been threatened by a fellow lawmaker and assaulted by another during a Memorial Day closing session. Others claim it was Rinaldi that made death threats against Democrat legislators.
A pared-down version of the transgender “bathroom bill” passed in the Texas House Sunday by a vote of 91-50.
A sheriff dispelled many of the lies spread by open borders supporters about Texas’ new anti-sanctuary city law during a press conference Thursday in McAllen.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) took little time in filing the first lawsuit to try to stop the Lone Star State’s recently signed anti-sanctuary jurisdiction bill. LULAC sued the State of Texas, its governor, and the state’s attorney general.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a proactive lawsuit asking a federal court to uphold the constitutionality of the State’s new sanctuary city law.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said law enforcement and other officials implementing sanctuary policies that release criminal aliens with immigration detainers will now be subject to the “stiffest penalties in America.” He also rebutted the hype and fear mongering being spread by some legislators, liberal chiefs of police, sheriffs, and media outlets.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed the State’s sanctuary city bill into law Sunday night during a Facebook Live event from his office. The new law is now the toughest anti-sanctuary city law in the United States and provides for criminal and civil penalties for police chiefs and sheriffs that refuse to honor immigration detainers.
Texas is one step closer to reducing fees charged to citizens wanting a license to carry a handgun. A bill previously passed by the Texas Senate cleared final reading in the House on Wednesday.
The Texas Legislature passed the toughest anti-sanctuary city bill in the nation Wednesday evening. The bill creates a criminal penalty for sheriffs and police chiefs that refuse to honor ICE detainers. The Senate passed the bill on a 20-11 party-line vote.
A Texas State Representative is accusing the Texas Police Chiefs Association of using “racial coding” when opposing his bill that would allow law-abiding citizens to carry a handgun like they can currently carry a rifle or shotgun.
The police chiefs in six of Texas’ largest cities responded to the anti-sanctuary city bill passed by the Texas House on Thursday by signing a letter of opposition and releasing it to the press on Friday. The chiefs said the issue is one for the federal government and representatives are “pandering.”
The Texas Legislature is on the final step to passing a bill that will penalize jurisdictions, including college campus police departments, which have sanctuary policies protecting illegal immigrants. The bill puts sharp teeth in the battle to stop such policies.
