Government officials and community activists from across the state gathered outside the Texas Capitol on Tuesday to voice support for taking legal action to stop the so-called “sanctuary cities” law. Senate Bill 4, which goes into effect September 1, allows officers to question the immigration status of people they detain. It would also punish law […]
Texas State Legislature
Posted inTexas State Legislature
How does Texas’ ‘sanctuary cities’ bill stack up against Arizona’s ‘show me your papers’ law?
City Council Member Greg Casar sat on the floor, his back blocking one of the two main entrances to a state building on the Capitol grounds. He’d taken a seat as part of a sit-in Monday to protest Senate Bill 4, also known as the “sanctuary cities” bill. “(Gov. Greg Abbott) wants to sign the […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Bills threaten Austin’s land use plans
Brie Franco, the city of Austin’s chief legislative strategist, gave City Council a brief update at Tuesday’s work session before rushing off to do some last minute lobbying. The city is facing a number of legislative attempts to curb its powers in the area of land use, Franco explained. That includes House Bill 2959 and […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Demonstrators arrested after staging sit-in at state office to protest ‘sanctuary’ bill
State troopers began arresting demonstrators who had staged an all-day sit-in at a state office building to protest legislation banning so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions Monday. City Council Member Greg Casar was arrested and cited with a Class B misdemeanor for Criminal Trespassing among nearly 20 other protesters. Dozens of people staged the sit-in at the Texas […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
State music museum appears headed to Austin
The Texas House of Representatives appears to be the last legislative hurdle for a bill that would lead to the creation of a museum in downtown Austin dedicated to Texas music. The museum would be a multi-floor anchor of sorts to a $550 million Capitol complex master plan that will see two new office buildings […]
Posted inAustin
Adler: Challenge to state’s sanctuary cities law ‘almost a certainty’
The state’s proposed sanctuary cities legislation faces an almost certain and likely quick challenge in court, Mayor Steve Adler said Wednesday after returning from his trip to Washington, D.C., to discuss the issue with federal law enforcement officials. The Texas House of Representatives’ debate late into Wednesday ahead of a vote on its version of […]
Posted inTexas State Legislature
Mayor, Troxclair check in at the Capitol to talk short-term rentals
Mayor Steve Adler and City Council Member Ellen Troxclair took their disagreement over the city’s short-term rental regulations to the Texas Capitol on Tuesday evening. Both testified before the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce on Senate Bill 451, a measure that reverses new rules passed by Council last year. Those rules are set to […]