Texas House OKs ‘sanctuary city’ ban with tough jail penalty after 15 hours

The Republican-controlled Texas House approved early Thursday a strict ban on "sanctuary cities" in the country's second-largest state, seeking to empower law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law against anyone they detain and threatening to jail police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to do so. The vote came just before 3 a.m. and followed 15-plus hours of heated, sometimes tearful debate, much of it from outnumbered Democrats.

Texas poised to pass ‘sanctuary city’ ban with jail penalty

Texas Rep. Rafael Anchia, D-Dallas, at podium, is surrounded by fellow lawmakers as he speaks against an anti-"sanctuary cities" bill that has already cleared the Texas Senate and seeks to jail sheriffs and other officials who refuse to help enforce federal immigration law today in Austin, Texas. AUSTIN, Texas>> Texas Republicans were poised today to take a big step toward banning "sanctuary cities" in their state, debating a bill through which police chiefs and sheriffs could even be jailed for not cooperating fully with federal immigration authorities.

The Latest: Texas inmate in murder plot loses appeal

A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a 60-year-old Texas inmate condemned for helping a former suburban Houston police officer murder his wife more than 22 years ago. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday refused arguments from lawyers for Joseph Andrew Prystash that raised questions about jury selection and juror instructions and the propriety of evidence.

the Drive: Obama returns; Syrians sanctioned; double execution set for tonight

President Barack Obama lifted the veil on his retirement Monday at a University of Chicago forum, engaging students with a message calling on them to use empathy and listen to those with whom they disagree. “I have to say that there's a reason why I'm always optimistic when things look like they're sometimes not going the way I want.

Russia investigations on the Hill: Where things stand

Multiple committee investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign will continue to push forward as Congress returns this week. Members of the House Intelligence Committee are hoping to get back to work after chairman Devin Nunes withdrew himself from the panel's Russia investigation amid ethics complaints.

Coming Up: This week at the Texas Legislature

Negotiations to write a final state budget, combining the Senate and House versions that are about $500 million apart in dollars but light years apart in how to pay for everything, will start the week off with a bang. The reason is that late Friday, Attorney General Ken Paxton sided with the Senate in its ongoing budget war with the House.

Legal rulings could force Texas back into federal oversight

A run of legal defeats over its voting laws means Texas could risk becoming the first state forced back into federal oversight since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of the Voting Rights Act four years ago. The justices' 2013 ruling struck down a provision in the 1965 law that required Texas and other states with troubled histories of racial discrimination to "pre-clear" any voting law changes with the federal government before enacting them.

Continue reading Prison company struggles toget license to hold children

A top private prison company is struggling to convince Texas lawmakers to license one of its facilities to hold immigrant parents and their children together -- a practice that President Donald Trump's administration recently committed to upholding. The Karnes Residential Center, 60 miles south of San Antonio, opened as a family detention center in 2014 and used to hold detainees for months, until a federal judge ruled that children held longer than 20 days must be housed in "non-secure" facilities with child care licenses.

Court again finds intentional voter discrimination in Texas

A Republican-drawn map setting the boundaries of Texas' statehouse districts violates the U.S. Constitution by intentionally discriminating against minority voters, a federal court found Thursday - the third such ruling against the state's voting laws in roughly a month. The latest ruling means Texas' strict voter ID law, congressional maps and state legislative maps - all of which were enacted in 2011 - have recently been found in violation of the federal Voting Rights Act.

Donald Trump’s border wall could leave some Americans sealed off on ‘Mexican side’

Photo/AP The border wall President Donald Trump has imagined and promised throughout his election campaign could seal some of his voters on the "Mexican side". The structure could leave some Americans on the opposite side of the barrier - technically on U.S. soil, but outside of a wall built north of the river separating the two countries, it was reported on Sunday.

Tough Texas ‘sanctuary cities’ bill moves closer to approval

A tough Texas anti-"sanctuary cities" bill that threatens to throw county sheriffs and small-town constables in jail if they refuse to help enforce federal immigration law looks to be on the fast-track toward passage in the state's Republican-controlled Legislature. The proposal cleared a House committee 7-5 without debate Wednesday, setting up a floor vote soon.

Highlights from in and around the world of Texas politics

A tough Texas anti-"sanctuary cities" bill that threatens to throw county sheriffs and small-town constables in jail if they refuse to help enforce federal immigration law looks to be on the fast-track toward passage in the state's Republican-controlled Legislature. The proposal cleared a House committee 7-5 without debate Wednesday, setting up a floor vote soon.

XPONENTIAL Hosts Co-Located Events Focusing On Repair, Research, Safety, More

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International today announced the line-up of co-located events taking place at XPONENTIAL 2017, including the Wireless Repair Roundup, which is partnering with AUVSI for the first time to provide invaluable training to wireless repair professionals and business owners on the opportunity and potential in the growing drone market. XPONENTIAL takes place at the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center in Dallas from May 8 to 11, 2017.

Steeleworkers unite

So there I was perusing the Campaign Events section of the weekly HCDP email blast, when I spotted this Facebook event and damn near fell out of my chair. On Sunday, April 9, 2017, Dayna Steele and Jon Powell, two candidates who are exploring a run for US House District 36, will be in Cleveland to meet the city, share their visions for Cleveland, Liberty County, and District 36, as well as answer your questions and address your concerns.

What to watch: Texas isn’t alone in rainy day fund fight

The rainy day fund contains $10-plus billion at a time when slumping oil prices have left the state facing a potential $6 billion shortfall just to maintain current spending levels in the 2018-2019 budget the Legislature is now devising. Democrats and Republicans in the House want to spend some of that to forego widespread cuts.

Trump provides pipeline consent

President Donald Trump gave the go-ahead to the long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, declaring it a "great day for American jobs" and siding with energy advocates over environmental groups in a heated debate over climate change. TransCanada CEO Russell Girling speaks with President Donald Trump in Washington.

Editorial: It’s time for a vote on Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is right to sue the federal government - and his old friend, new Energy Secretary Rick Perry - over the Energy Department's handling of the Yucca Mountain project. If we're serious about climate change and carbon emissions, then we're going to have to get serious about nuclear power .