The Texas Report 5/8

The Texas Report 5/8

What’s Happening:

• Mass shooting in Allen Mall (More here)

• House General Investigating Recommends Expulsion of Legislator (More here)

• The end of Title 42 (More here)

• Texas Legislative Update

Allen Mall

Eight people were killed, and seven others wounded when a gunman opened fire at an Allen, Texas, outlet mall Saturday afternoon. (More here)

The gunman was a 33-year-old who dressed in tactical gear and wielded an AR-15-style rife. A police officer was already in the mall for an unrelated call when gunfire broke out. The officer followed the sound of gunshots, tracked down the shooter, and killed him, according to the Allen Police Chief.

Senior law enforcement officials are investigating whether the shooter was motivated by right-wing extremism; authorities said the shooter was found with an emblem on his clothing that reads "RWDS," which may stand for "Right Wing Death Squad." He also had an extensive social media presence, including neo-Nazi and White supremacist posts.

Few details have been released, but we will do what we can to ensure our readers get the most up-to-date, accurate news.

The Texas Department of Public Safety is the lead agency handling the mass shooting investigation.

Texas Politicians’ Response:

Following news of the shooting, many Republican leaders wished thoughts and prayers to the Allen community, and Governor Greg Abbott specifically said, "Our hearts are with the people of Allen, Texas, tonight during this unspeakable tragedy.

We have been in contact with Mayor Fulk and DPS Director McCraw, as well as other state and local leaders, and offered the full support of the State of Texas to local officials to ensure all needed assistance and resources are swiftly deployed, including DPS officers, Texas Rangers, and investigative resources." (Full statement)

Abbott spoke more on the shooting in a Sunday interview with Fox News. The hosts presented Abbott with a poll showing Americans favor background checks and raising the minimum age to buy firearms.

Abbott added, "We are working to address that anger and violence by going to its root cause, which is addressing the mental health problems behind it. People want a quick solution. The long-term solution here is to address the mental health issue."

Representative Jeff Leach (R), who represents Allen, said via social media, "In times like these, words are hard to come by. No elected official prepares for a press conference like this or hopes to ever have to attend one. Even so, I was grateful to stand by law enforcement and other local leaders to offer words of hope and healing to my hurting community." (More in an interview here)

Many Texas Democrats took to social media to criticize the Republican response, including:

• Senator Roland Gutierrez said, "There is a special place in hell for people who watch all this happen and choose to do nothing." (More here)

• Democratic Caucus House Chairman Representative Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio) added, "If we cannot keep our children safe, if we cannot keep them alive, then nothing we do as legislators matters." (More here)

• Texas Democrats also held a emotional press conference Monday, with both Representatives and Senators emphasizing their commitment to do whatever necessary to try and pass bills increasing the minimum age to buy a semi-automatiatic weapons.

Texas House Investigatory Committee Recommends Expulsion of Legislator

On Saturday, The Texas House General Investigating Committee recommended the expulsion of Republican state Representative Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) after finding he engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with an aide.

• The House General Investigating Committee report thoroughly examined the circumstances behind an alleged complaint implication Slaton for having sex and providing alcohol to the 19-year-old woman.

• From the findings, Slaton did not dispute any of the allegations that he had sex with the 19-year-old and didn't express regret or remorse.

• The report said that his lawyer argued the complaints should be dismissed because the behavior occurred in his residence, not a workplace.

Committee chair Representative Andrew Murr (R-Junction) read a speech from the floor acknowledging that a decision to expel a member is a "level of punishment we don't take lightly."

I'm still reading through and digesting the full report, but it routinely highlights choices by Slaton to acquire alcohol for underage Capitol employees and even explains attempts to intimidate the aide by showing anonymous emails he'd supposedly received saying they knew the representative and aide had sex but "nothing would happen as long as her and her friends keep quiet."

In addition to accusing Slaton of violating the House rules, the report explained Slaton had committed three class A misdemeanors that could result in a year in jail or $4,000 fine:

• Providing alcohol to a minor.

• Abuse of official capacity, which occurs when public servants violate a law relating to their office or employment.

• Official oppression, which can occur when a public servant "intentionally subjects another to sexual harassment."

Slaton has not been removed from his position yet, as that decision is up to the full House, who will take up the issue on Tuesday. (More here)

End of Title 42

The United States is preparing to end the COVID-19 restrictions blocking migrants caught at the U.S. - Mexico border from seeking asylum.

Title 42 was first implemented under former President Donald Trump in March 2020. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the order was needed to stem the spread of coronavirus from crowded detention settings. (More here)

More on Title 42:

• Title 42 allowed border agents to rapidly expel many migrants to Mexico.

• President Biden actively campaigned on reversing Trump's border policies but kept 42 in place and subsequently expanded the program as the border faced record attempted migration.

• Title 42 has been used to expel migrants more than 2.7 million times.

Title 42 is set to be lifted on Thursday, and U.S. border officials have begun preparing for a significant increase in illegal crossing.

In April, U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 183,000 migrants, which appears to be a nearly 13% increase in apprehensions compared to March. Additionally, 19,000 migrants are currently being held in U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities which exceed capacity by nearly 200 percent.

What's next:

• Biden plans to issue a new regulation that would deny asylum to the majority of migrants caught crossing if they passed through another country en route to the U.S. without seeking protection or failed to use other legal pathways.

• The Pentagon is sending 1,500 troops to support the Border Patrol with administrative functions.

• A bipartisan group of U.S. senators are working to pass a bill granting immigration authorities the ability to expel migrants back to Mexico for another two years.

TEXAS LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

On Tuesday, the Texas House will consider the Speaker’s priority border security legislation.

House Bill (H.B.) 7 & H.B. 20 by Representatives Ryan Guillen and Matt Schaefer. A little bit about each bill:

• H.B. 7 seeks to address funding shortages in Texas border communities, establish a mechanism to compensate property owners for damages caused by crossings between ports of entry and incentivize the homeland security workforce pipeline.

• H.B. 20 would establish a new division known as the border protection unit which would consist of commissioned and noncommissioned officers authorized by the legislature. The unit would be responsible for overseeing the construction and maintenance of walls, fences, and other physical barriers along the Texas-Mexico border.

• The unit may also allow civilians authorized by the Border Unit Chief to take action for “deterring and repelling persons attempting to enter Texas unlawfully.”

Many Democratic activists and law enforcement agencies have expressed concern with H.B. 20 on the basis that it would deputize civilians to conduct law enforcement operations without requiring the same training standards as licensed peace officers.

And though I sound like a broken record, S.B. 14 by Senator Donna Campbell and Representative Tom Oliverson will be considered in the House sometime this week. This is the legislation intended by Republicans to prohibit gender modification treatments for minors. At the same time, Democrats see it as an attack on the Transgender community by limiting access to “gender-affirming care.”

The bill has been on the calendar twice but has been knocked off each time due to parliamentary procedure violations.

Also being considered this week in House Higher Education are S.B. 17 & S.B. 18, both by Senator Brandon Creighton (R-Conroe).

• S.B. 17 is intended to prevent Higher Education Institutions from establishing or maintaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices.

• S.B. 18 would add new requirements for reviewing existing tenure policies and prevent higher education institutions from granting employee tenure after September 1, 2023.