Free Republic

Yesterday, conservative lawmakers pushed to attach key toll road reforms to two transportation bills in the Texas House, but they were thwarted by Speaker Joe Straus and his parliamentarian Chris Griesel who would not allow them to present their amendments. Griesel told them the amendments weren’t ‘germane’ (or salient) to the bills, HB 13 and HB 20, and blocked Rep. Jeff Leach and Rep. Jonathan Stickland from even laying out their amendments. Straus and Griesel utilized the same technique as they did on a Stickland amendment to the open carry bill the week before. The two decided to reject the...

House Bill 13 would: * Make cities that refuse to enforce federal drug and immigration laws ineligible for funds from the state homeland security office, including any border security money the Legislature approves this session. * Create a three-member Border Security Council to distribute state border security money. Its members would be the director of homeland security, the public safety director of DPS and the director of the Border Sheriffs Coalition. * Allow local law enforcement to be trained by federal officials on immigration law — something they are already allowed to do. * Transfer oversight of the controversial Texas...