TX House Committee Decides Against Immigration Decison

Texas anti-border fence legislation lives. 

Anti-Real ID Act legislation dies.

AUSTIN - Very few bills ushered into Texas' State Affairs Committee this session on the premises of immigration cleared the sieve last week.  An unfortunate latecomer was a Texas resolution to comprehensively push back against Real ID regulations. It died in committee behind a massive bottleneck of other imperiled legislations late last week.   Immigrations groups on both sides of the aisle saw their hard work lose traction and move toward history.

"Several of the proposals are similar to ones that were introduced in the last session, which failed to make it out of committee because they were considered unconstitutional."  

-Texas Insider

Some groups blame Committee Chair Burt Solomons, others blame House Speaker Strauss for deliberately overwhelming State Affairs case loads to override and failure of hundreds of pieces of legislation following immigration hearings last month. According to Texas Insider,  the causes range from  constituent pressures, previous counsel agreements and even lack of constitutionality. 

"To date Solomons and his committee have taken no action on any bill relating to illegal immigration."  -Texas Insider

To Live and Die by Real ID Regulations

Not all immigration related bills fielded through State Affairs died last week. Legislation authored by Rep. Eddie Lucio III,  opposing expansion 

of the border wall fence was one of the few fortunate resolutions to make it out of the State Affairs Committee after grazing the immigration debate. Adrienne Evans, of Big Bend Coalition , remarked that the lack of ability to get any immigration bills whatsoever out of the State Affairs Committee "stands out this session."

HCR 50, a resolution to uphold the 10th Amendment, heard amongst many controversial immigration bills made it out of State Affairs and is now headed for a House floor vote.   A germaine win on the 10th Amendment could address federal regulations in the Real ID Act affecting Texas.

As an aside note: Scott Nicol of NoBorderWall returned last week from Washington D.C. to support AZ Rep. Raul Grijalva's move to do away with expanded border wall regulations in the Real ID Act.

For more information on No Border Wall & Grijalva's legislation visit:

NoTexasBorderWall.com