First batch of legislative bills filed hit hard at immigration issues
Legislation that lets Texans carry guns onboard watercraft, authorizes state troopers to check southbound vehicles at the U.S.-Mexico border and cracks down on human traffickers were among the bills filed Monday by Rio Grande Valley legislators.
With nearly a two-thirds majority in the state House, the state’s Republican lawmakers took a hard line on immigration in more than a dozen bills that were filed the first day for proposing legislation to be considered in the upcoming session.
State Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, who filed four bills Monday, said anti-immigration issues will be at the forefront of the state Legislature next year after 22 Democrats lost seats in the state House, leaving Republicans one seat short of the supermajority they need to pass legislation without any Democratic votes.
“In this country, you shouldn’t be able to pull people over because of their racial status alone,” Peña said of a proposal that would allow suspicious law enforcement officers to make arrests based solely on immigration status. “But I do think something (on immigration) will pass. The question is what’s in it.”
‘DEVASTATING EFFECT’
The Valley’s Democratic delegation — which must find ways to pass bills in a statehouse under tight GOP control — also filed bills that would triple the size of the homestead exemption, require restaurants to post calorie counts for all items on the menu and criminalize the use of road spikes by drug traffickers attempting to evade police.
The staff of state Rep. Ryan Guillen, D-Rio Grande City, camped out in front of the House clerk’s office for 24 hours to be rewarded with low bill numbers for the nine pieces of legislation he filed.
Guillen’s batch of bills include proposals that allow schools to discipline students for cyber-bullying, allows indigent defendants to have a payment plan for fines in misdemeanor cases and one that makes it legal to carry a firearm onto a watercraft, a measure prompted by jet skier David Hartley’s murder by Falcon Lake pirates.
But Guillen’s bills will numerically come after those of state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, who camped outside the office for two nights before filing measures that make it a violation of state law for illegal immigrants to be in Texas, requires school districts to report the number of illegal immigrants enrolled and stipulates that voters must provide proof of eligibility at the polls.
With legislators forced to fix the biggest budget shortfall in state history, Guillen said he is closely watching to see what is proposed to address the deficit.
Some Republican lawmakers, including state Rep. Warren Chisum, R-Pampa, who is seeking the House Speaker’s position, want to see whether it’s feasible to drop out of the federal Medicaid program. A conservative think tank estimates the move would save Texas $60 billion over a seven-year period with the Texas Health and Human Services Commissioner releasing its own study by January.
But Guillen said dropping Medicaid would have a “devastating effect” in the Valley and other low-income communities where a large portion of residents depend on the government-aid program.
“With close to a $25 billion shortfall, everything is on the table,” Guillen said. “We are going to have a difficult time negotiating because of the Republican-Democrat spread in the House.”
OTHER BILLS
Republican state legislators also want to make it legal for concealed handgun license holders to carry handguns on college campuses, prohibit state money from going to facilities that perform abortions and keep Texas from enforcing new federal health care laws.
Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, filed a bill — similar to a controversial Arizona law — that would allow law enforcement officers to inquire about a suspicious person’s immigration status and make an arrest based on the answer. Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, filed a measure that would require all state and local governments and their contractors to use E-Verify — a joint program of the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration used to verify workers’ immigration status.
In the Valley, state Sen. Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa filed four bills — including the measures that fight human smuggling and require restaurants to highlight nutrition content. Hinojosa also wants to reimburse student loan expenses for nurses who commit to teaching in nursing schools and require the Texas insurance commissioner to approve increases in homeowner insurance rates before the hikes take effect.
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, who represents Starr County, was prolific as she filed 44 bills on a broad policy spectrum, including a bill that eliminates the use of the word “retarded” in state statutes and agency names. Peña filed two pieces of border security legislation — including the measure that allows the Texas Department of Public Safety to search for weapons and cash in southbound vehicles at international ports. He also submitted a bill that makes it illegal to buy synthetic marijuana, often sold at head shops under the brand name K2.
LOCAL ISSUES
And state Rep. Armando Martinez filed 21 bills — some new pieces of legislation and others he’s worked on in past legislative sessions.
With barely one-third of the state House left to the Democrats, passing legislation next year with a budgetary impact will be an “uphill battle,” Martinez said. He filed legislation that increases the homestead exemption to $45,000, establishes a law school in the Valley and would allow the governor to use the Texas Enterprise Fund to pay for a veterans’ hospital here.
“We’re going to be focusing on the issues that are important to our district,” Martinez said. “We want to make sure we address those issues as best we can under Republican leadership.”
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Jared Janes covers Hidalgo County government, Edinburg and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4424.
The Associated Press and the Texas Tribune contributed to this report.
