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Paxton sues to remove 13 absent Democrat House members
Attorney General Ken Paxton has asked the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 of the more than 50 House Democrats who fled the state to break quorum and effectively halt the special session to prevent a mid-decade redistricting plan, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
“These cowards deliberately sabotaged the constitutional process and violated the oath they swore to uphold,” Paxton said in a statement. “Their out-of-state rebellion cannot go unchecked, and the business of Texas must go on.”
Gov. Greg Abbott took a similar action against state Rep. Gene Wu, DHouston, who is chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Paxton is seeking to remove state Reps. Ron Reynolds; Vikki Goodwin; Gina Hinojosa; James Talarico; Lulu Flores; Mihaela Plesa; Suleman Lalani; Chris Turner; Ana-Maria Ramos; Jessica Gonzalez; John Bucy III; and Christina Morales.
Paxton said he targeted those members because they “made incriminating public statements regarding their refusal to return.”
U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said the FBI has agreed to help locate the Democrats, who have appeared in Chicago, New York, and Boston, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
The FBI would only assist in finding the Democrats and would not apprehend them, Cornyn said. The members have held several press conferences and aren’t exactly keeping their whereabouts a secret. They left the state via a chartered plane on Aug. 3.
Senate panel advances bill swapping STAAR for three tests
While the House is unable to meet with the Democrats out of state, the Senate is still in special session. A Senate panel has unanimously advanced a proposal to swap the end-of-year standardized test, called STAAR, for the three shorter tests administered throughout the school year, according to the Texas Standard.
The STAAR test has been widely criticized by parents and teachers for putting enormous pressure on students. Teachers have complained about having to spend too much time preparing students to take the STAAR.
A companion bill has been filed in the House as well. An effort to pass a similar measure during the regular session failed.
The tests would be shorter than the current test, which can last three hours. The turnaround for the shorter tests would be much faster than it is for STAAR — just two business days.
River authority pledges $1.5 million for flood protection
The Upper Guadalupe River Authority has pledged to spend at least $1.5 million on flood protection and mitigation measures after a Houston Chronicle investigation revealed it had delayed upgrading its flood warning system, opting instead to keep at least $3 million in reserve. The announcement came at a legislative hearing in Kerrville, at which the UGRA has been roundly criticized for not acting earlier.
“It was recognized through studies that you paid for that there was a need for an early warning system,” State Rep. Drew Darby, RSan Angelo, told Bill Rector, president of the authority’s board. “And yet you didn’t do anything about it.”
The UGRA’s entire board was appointed by Abbott. It is one of the very few river authorities that has the power to levy taxes. That drew the attention of state Rep. Ken King, RCanadian.
“So you’re not accountable to the voters of Kerr County, even though you’re taxing them?” asked King, who chairs the House committee on flood recovery. Rector acknowledged that was the case.
Deadline approaching to apply for flood damage aid
Property owners, businesses, renters and others affected by the July Hill Country floods have until Sept. 4 to apply for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to the Express-News.
Heavy rains triggered flooding along the Guadalupe River, killing at least 119 people. Another 16 deaths were reported in separate flooding in Travis, Burnet, Williamson and Tom Green Counties.
A total of 10 counties have been designated eligible for federal money: Burnet, Guadalupe, Kerr, Kimble, McCulloch, Menard, San Saba, Tom Green, Travis and Williamson.
FEMA encourages applicants to apply online at DisasterAssistance.gov or call the agency’s help line at 800-6213362, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.
Excluding immigrants from census could be costly for Texas
If President Donald Trump is successful in excluding undocumented immigrants from the next U.S. census, Texas could lose seats in Congress and billions of dollars in federal funding, the Chronicle reported.
The state has an estimated population of 2 million immigrants living in the country illegally.
“(We would lose) what the state has gained over the past two censuses, at least a couple of seats,” said Jeronimo Cortina, a political scientist at the University of Houston. “And then where do they go? Maybe they go to, I don’t know, North Dakota.”
It is unclear whether Trump has the authority to implement the census changes. An effort in 2019 to add a question about citizenship to the decennial census was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court.
DPS announces creation of new Homeland Security Division
The Texas Department of Public Safety has announced the creation of a new Homeland Security Division, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The new office combines the existing Office of Homeland Security with the DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division to oversee border security operations and statewide intelligence efforts. It will also be responsible for overseeing the protection of infrastructure and emergency preparedness.
“Our No. 1 priority is to protect Texans — especially against hostile foreign adversaries like China, Iran, and Russia” Abbott said. “Texas will always defend our state from hostile foreign nations and terrorists to create greater safety in our communities.”
Texas lawmakers authorized creation of the new division during the last regular session.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email:gborders@ texaspress.com
