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December 7, 2018
Senator Kel Seliger: Files Legislation to Delink Elected Official Pensions from Judge Pay
Today, State Senator Kel Seliger (R- Amarillo) filed Senate Bill 223, to delink the elected class retirement annuity calculation from the salary of district judges. Since 1991, the salary used to calculate the service retirement annuity for elected officials, such as state senators, has been tied to the salary of state district judges.
From Senator Kel Seliger
December 7, 2018
Representative Will Hurd: Secures $50M in Grant Funding for West Texas Infrastructure Improvements
Today, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)’s Texas Energy Sector Rural Improvement Program received $50 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s BUILD grant program to improve roads impacted by the Permian Basin energy boom in Winkler, Reagan and Glasscock Counties. U.S. Representative Will Hurd (TX-23), was instrumental in securing the funds by penning a bipartisan letter of support signed by 21 members of Congress to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and by advocating for the projects separately to Deputy Assistant Secretary Sean McMaster.
From Representative Will Hurd
December 7, 2018
Representative Hugh Shine: Files Property Tax Legislation
State Representative Hugh Shine filed six pieces of property tax legislation on December 7, 2018. The legislation revolves around transparency and property tax reform. Shine has been working with a stakeholder group of sixty plus individuals on all sides of the property tax issue for the past 15 months.
From Representative Hugh Shine
December 7, 2018
Office of the Attorney General: Paxton Praises President Trump's Nomination of William Barr for U.S. Attorney General
Attorney General Ken Paxton today commended President Trump’s nomination of former U.S. Attorney General William Barr to lead the Department of Justice again: “In William Barr, President Trump nominated a highly respected attorney and brilliant legal mind who has demonstrated an unfailing commitment to the rule of law and fidelity to the pursuit of justice,” Attorney General Paxton said.
From Office of the Attorney General
December 7, 2018
Representative Joaquin Castro: Castro, Cummings, Thompson, Nadler Ask DHS OIG to Investigate Toddler Death Shortly After Release From a Texas Detention Center
Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Chairman Elect of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus; Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee; Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (MI-02), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee; and Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, today called on the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to investigate the death of Mariee Juarez days after leaving DHS custody earlier this year.
From Representative Joaquin Castro
December 7, 2018
Senator Ted Cruz: Statement on His Support for a Revised Version of the First Step Act
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today released the following statement on his support for a revised version of the First Step Act: “I have long supported criminal justice reform. I believe in reducing mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent drug offenders, and providing greater opportunities for offenders to be rehabilitated.
From Senator Ted Cruz
December 7, 2018
Representative Henry Cuellar: Announces $1.6 Billion for Community Health Centers
Today, Congressman Henry Cuellar (TX-28) announced $1.6 billion in federal funding for Community Health Centers (CHCs) in the fiscal year 2019 Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations package. This legislation passed the House and Senate and was signed into law by the President at the end of September before the end of the fiscal year.
From Representative Henry Cuellar
December 7, 2018
Texas Education Agency: Opens System of Great Schools Network Application Period
Commissioner of Education Mike Morath announced today that the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is accepting applications from school districts to the 2019 cohort of the System of Great Schools (SGS) Network.
From Texas Education Agency
December 7, 2018
Senator Ted Cruz: Sens. Cruz, Cornyn, Rep. Cuellar Bill to Honor Veterans from Mission, Texas Signed into Law
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) released the following statements after the President signed their bill to rename the U.S. Postal Office in Mission, Texas as the “Mission Veterans Post Office Building” into law:
From Senator Ted Cruz
December 7, 2018
Representative Celia Israel: Says New SOS Appointee Must Focus on Critical Elections Infrastructure
Today, in light of the resignation of current Secretary of State, Rolando Pablos, Rep. Celia Israel (HD 50 - Austin) is calling on Governor Abbott to appoint a candidate that will focus on improving Texas's critical elections infrastructure. With a majority of Texas voting machines over 10 years old, experts say these machines should not be used for any more time than they already have been.
From Representative Celia Israel
December 7, 2018
Office of the Attorney General: Obtains Conviction, 55-Year Prison Sentence in Sex Trafficking Case Involving Underage and Adult Victims
Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office today announced that a jury found 41-year-old Steven Charles Sumlin guilty on the charge of continuous trafficking of persons, a first-degree felony, for the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old girl and a 22-year-old woman. He was sentenced to 55 years in prison.
From Office of the Attorney General
December 7, 2018
Office of the Attorney General: Paxton Files Multistate Brief With SCOTUS Supporting Trump Administration's Order to Phase Out DACA
Leading a coalition of 10 states, Attorney General Ken Paxton today filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting President Trump’s authority to rescind the unlawful Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) progam. DACA unilaterally granted lawful presence and work permits to nearly one million unlawfully-present aliens without congressional authorization.
From Office of the Attorney General