Texas Lawmaker Seeks to Stop Gender Abortion
News 4 San Antonio - State Representative Allen Fletcher ((R) District 130 - Cypress) is a former Texas State Trooper, who patrolled for 19 years. Now serving his fourth term in Austin, few law makers introduce and pass more laws than Fletcher. He is also one of the most accessible and straight talking politicians in the state, especially when speaking about his signature issue, abortion. "I think taking a baby's life, especially a healthy baby, for any reason, is wrong," says Fletcher.
This legislative session Fletcher is determined to end a specific type of abortion, one he fears is set to become a growing problem. The procedure is called gender specific abortion and it happens when an expectant mother ends a pregnancy based on the sex of her unborn child. To end the practice in Texas, Fletcher recently introduced House Bill 113.
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Riddle bill would move Public Integrity Unit to AG’s office
Houston Chronicle - Five months after the indictment of Gov. Rick Perry, Republicans have taken their first official step toward fulfilling a pledge to reorganize the team whose investigation led to the charges.
State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Spring, filed a bill and constitutional amendment last Friday to move the duties of the Public Integrity Unit from the Travis County District Attorney’s Office to the Attorney General’s Office.
Cody Stephens Bill named after Crosby athlete set to be introduced in 2015 legislature
The Humble Observer - On May 6, 2012, Cody Stephens – a six-foot-nine, 290-pound football star at Crosby High School – passed away from an unforeseen heart condition.
Now in his legacy, a bill to be introduced to legislators in the Texas 84th Legislative Session will endeavor to ensure that other Texas athletes have the opportunity to undergo potentially life-saving electrocardiogram (EKG) screenings.
...The Cody Stephens Bill, which is being carried by Texas Rep. Wayne Smith (R- District 128), Texas Rep. Sylvester Turner (D- District 139) and Texas Rep. Dan Huberty (R-District 27), would ensure that Texas athletes undergo EKG screenings before their ninth grade and 11th grade years.
“Cody had the world at his fingertips, but his life was tragically cut short,” Huberty said. “Cody had never had his heart health checked with an electrocardiogram, which would have made evident his oversized heart. This preventative measure could have easily saved Cody’s life.
Creighton , Ashby file ‘Right to Hunt & Fish‘ constitutional amendment
The Kingwood Observer - Texas state Sen. Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe) and state Rep. Trent Ashby (R-Lufkin) have filed the “Right to Hunt & Fish” constitutional amendment in preparation of the 84th Legislative Session. Filed as SJR 22 in the Texas Senate and HJR 61 in the Texas House of Representatives.
This legislation constitutionally upholds and protects the right for Texans to hunt and fish as a preferred method of managing the state’s wildlife population.
Senate Could Start Fast — and With Fewer Committees
The Texas Tribune - The Texas Senate could lose as many as six of its 18 committees when it adopts rules after the new lieutenant governor is sworn in, and the members of those committees could be named before the end of the second week of the new legislative session, sources said Wednesday.
The shrinking number of committees has been rumored for weeks and would not be unusual. The Senate had 18 committees in 2013 — David Dewhurst’s last session as lieutenant governor — compared with 15 when he took that position in 2003. His predecessor, Rick Perry, had 13 committees during his one session as lieutenant governor.
Congratulations Trebor Gordon
Congratulations to HCRP Precinct Chair and Chaplain Trebor Gordon - fighting for free speech and fair elections in Houston!
Houston Chronicle - A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a law limiting when candidates in Houston municipal elections can raise money, prompting a scramble to contact donors sooner than campaigns had intended.
The injunction, two months after a City Council candidate said the law infringed on his constitutional rights, could reorder the timeline for future elections and accelerate this year’s mayoral race – the first without an incumbent since 2009.
...The lawsuit against the city, filed by candidate Trebor Gordon, argued that his First Amendment right to political expression authorized him to raise money for his campaigns whenever his contributors wished to donate. Lake said in the order that Gordon was likely to succeed on the merits in the case.
Texas Legislature Things to Watch: Taxes, immigration
KPRC Local 2 - Will Texas' lawyerly governor-elect see eye-to-eye with the firebrand incoming lieutenant governor? Could plummeting oil prices thwart promised tax-cuts? Can gun advocates armed with a 3-D printer producing firearm components on the state Capitol lawn draw support from lawmakers for expanding gun rights? The start of Texas' 140-day legislative session Tuesday may answer some key questions, but it is sure to raise many others.
Rule on Natural Gas Rate Hikes is Fuel for Debate
Texas Tribune - State regulators say they have found a way to lower Texans’ natural gas utility bills: keep money out of lawyers’ pockets. Last month, the Texas Railroad Commission quietly approved a rule that simplifies how cities challenge rate increases for natural gas – a multimillion-dollar proposition for monopoly utilities that have no local competition.
...Public support for the rule came from two utilities — CenterPoint Energy and Texas Gas Service Company; two legal reform groups; the Texas Conservative Coalition; and state Rep. Patricia Harless, R-Spring. Last session, Harless proposed two pieces of similar legislation that failed in the committee stage after local governments loudly objected.
Perseverance, work ethic define area's newest state rep
Houston Chronicle - By the time Harris County's conservative leaders fished for their car keys at their Election Night watch party, there were few candidates left to congratulate. Nearly every Republican had won, and each had earned a handshake or name-check from the movement's political class. Every one, that is, but Gilbert Pena.
..."If you underestimate Gilbert Pena, you're making a mistake," said his treasurer, Bill Treneer.
Anti-abortion lawmakers in Texas push for more restrictions
San Angelo Standard-Times - Anti-abortion lawmakers are looking to use the 2015 session of the Texas Legislature to build on the restrictions that led to the closing of more than half of Texas’ 40 abortion clinics. Among the proposals: more limits on legal exemptions for girls seeking abortions without notifying their parents and efforts to ensure that women are not coerced into having abortions, particularly in human trafficking cases.
...Republican state Rep. Debbie Riddle has offered a bill to require staff at abortion clinics to complete a training program to recognize and respond to signs of human trafficking. Riddle said she sees abortion facilities as the “first line of defense” for female victims.
“If somebody, a doctor or a nurse or somebody dealing with that young woman, can spot the fact that that young woman is a victim of human trafficking, then that will help,” Riddle said.