After hours of contentious and often emotional debate, the Texas House passed HB 12, the controversial “sanctuary cities” legislation. The measure was passed on a 100 to 47 vote just after midnight.
Immigration
In-depth reporting on border issues, policies, communities, and the impact of immigration across the state, from The Texas Tribune.
Posted in
Demographics
Sanctuary Cities Bill Still Stuck in House
What will happen next in the debate over the contentious “sanctuary cities” bill is anyone’s guess. As the afternoon bleeds into night, Democrats in the Texas House are still huddling on the floor to discuss their next move.
Posted in
Demographics
Birdwell Tries, Fails to Hike Tuition for Undocumented
An effort by Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, to require undocumented Texas students to pay out-of-state tuition rates sparked emotional debate in the Senate today, and forced Birdwell to pull the measure down.
Posted in
Criminal Justice
TribWeek: In Case You Missed It
Aaronson on the latest attack on Planned Parenthood, Aguilar previews the sanctuary cities debate, Grissom on a death row inmate’s unsuccessful appeal, Hamilton on the UT System’s faculty “productivity” data dump, Philpott on the prospect of lawsuits over education cuts, Ramsey on puppies and other distractions, Ramshaw on a tobacco fight, my interview with the presidents of UT-Austin and Texas A&M, M. Smith on a former State Board of Ed member who may have violated state ethics law, Stiles interactively displays the effects of House redistricting and Tan on the Senate budget end game: The best of our best content from May 2 to 6, 2011.
Posted in
Demographics
Update: Point of Order Derails Sanctuary Cities Bill — For Now
The controversial “sanctuary cities” bill hit a roadblock in the Texas House late Friday when a point of order derailed the legislation and knocked it off the calendar.
Posted in
Demographics
House Prepares for Sanctuary Cities Debate
Is it about security or racial profiling? Will U.S. citizens be targets of harassment? Will it stain Texas with the reputation Arizona thrust upon itself? The Texas House will likely entertain those and other sensitive questions when House Bill 12, commonly referred to as the “sanctuary cities” bill, hits the chamber’s floor on Friday.
Posted in
Demographics
Perry on Senate Budget, Sanctuary Cities and Rainy Days
The governor told a press gaggle today that the Senate budget vote is a “step in right direction” — and that big-city police chiefs who oppose sanctuary city legislation must not have been listening last Election Day.
Posted in
Demographics
Will E-Verify Legislation Still Pass This Session?
Despite a bevy of bills filed this session that would require Texas employers to use the federal electronic verification system known as E-Verify, the legislation has, so far, failed to advance out of committee — and the clock is winding down.
Posted in
Demographics
Global Travel Alert Issued; No Change on Border
The U.S. State Department is asking U.S. citizens traveling or residing abroad to avoid mass gatherings and demonstrations because of Osama bin Laden’s death, but no law enforcement changes are planned along the Texas-Mexican border.
Posted in
Demographics
Where Are Perry’s Emergency Items?
With fewer than five weeks left in the regular session, none of Gov. Rick Perry’s emergency items — voter ID, sanctuary cities, sonograms for women getting abortions, a federal balanced budget amendment, and eminent domain protection — have made it to his desk.