Senators Talk Interstate Border Security Compact
Lawmakers on the Senate subcommittee on Border Security met Wednesday morning to discuss the concept of an interstate compact to enforce federal immigration laws, which was the basis of a bill carried by state Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, last session and one of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's interim charges.
Expert witnesses told the senators that such an agreement would require Congressional approval, and even if that was obtained, it may face constitutional questions.
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Site Selection magazine has given Texas its Prosperity Cup for 2015, an award given to the state that scores highest on its investment-attraction index, according to an announcement from the Office of the Governor.
In 2014, Texas ranked third on the list of states.
The index takes into consideration, among other things, new and expanded facilities, capital investment, job creation and tax climate.
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And in other Texas economic development news, Gov. Greg Abbott was in Houston on Tuesday to help announce the relocation of the U.S. headquarters of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to the Bayou City, according to an announcement from the governor’s office.
The company is active in several different sectors, ranging from energy and transportation to aerospace and aviation. The new headquarters will be responsible for overseeing the company’s North American operations.
“Texas is home to around 1,200 MHI Group employees and we are honored that they have chosen Houston for their new U.S. headquarters,” Abbott said. “In Texas, free enterprise flourishes thanks to our low taxes, reasonable regulations and right-to-work laws, and I look forward to Texas’ continued growth as a North American hub for global trade and investment.”
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Dan Patrick last Friday announced his Senate appointments to a couple of joint interim committees — one that’ll look at how the government communicates directly to the people via public notices and another that’ll examine the possibility of attracting the cruise industry to South Texas.
For the public notices panel, Patrick’s appointees are:
Konni Burton, R-Colleyville — Chair
Kirk Watson, D-Austin — Vice Chair
Kelly Hancock, R-N. Richland Hills
Charles Perry, R-Lubbock
José Rodríguez, D-El Paso
For the cruise industry panel, Patrick’s appointees are:
Lois Kolkhorst, R-Brenham — Chair
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa, D-McAllen — Vice Chair
Joan Huffman, R-Houston
Eduardo "Eddie" Lucio, Jr., D-Brownsville
Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood
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After completing a semester working at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, former Houston Mayor Annise Parker is returning home. Her alma mater Rice University announced this week that she will be joining the faculty as a professor of practice.
She will work with students through the Doerr Institute of New Leaders and teach for the School of Social Sciences, the university said. Parker was mayor from 2010 to 2015.
Disclosure: Rice University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. A complete list of Tribune donors and sponsors can be viewed here.