The latest criminal justice news from The Texas Tribune.
Along party lines, a Senate committee Wednesday advanced a controversial "sanctuary cities" bill from Lubbock Sen. Charles Perry that would cut state funds to cities that don't let their peace officers enforce immigration laws. Full Story
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Three bills up for House committee hearings Wednesday would lower the penalties for possessing small amounts of pot in Texas. A fourth would decriminalize pot entirely. Full Story
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State Rep. Borris Miles threatened to "beat up" a plainclothes DPS trooper while the lawman was guarding Attorney General Ken Paxton during a meeting at an Austin steakhouse, according to a report obtained by the Tribune. Full Story
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UPDATED: Business groups are weighing in on gun legislation, trying to preserve a business owner's rights to ban guns from private property. A House committee took up the question up Tuesday. Full Story
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After a marathon hearing that stretched well into Tuesday morning, a Senate subcommittee approved Sen. Donna Campbell's bill to repeal Texas law that allows some undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at colleges and universities. Full Story
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A bill banning so-called sanctuary cities in Texas – the common term for local entities that do not enforce immigration laws — advanced out of a Senate subcommittee on Monday. Full Story
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A set of bills from conservative lawmakers would make it illegal for people to use the bathroom other than the one designated for their gender assigned at birth. Members of the transgender community say the legislation specifically targets them and even places a bounty on their heads. Full Story
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A public records request has added another twist to the Rick Perry legal saga, with special prosecutors now suing Attorney General Ken Paxton to keep confidential detailed invoices that would show who they interviewed while building their case. Full Story
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A grand jury in Travis County did a peculiar thing this week. It decided Wallace Hall had not broken the law, and then recommended removing him from the University of Texas System Board of Regents. Full Story
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Often seen as a workers' rights issue, worker misclassification can have a direct impact on the state's child support collections. Some workers want to be classified as contractors to dodge wage garnishment. Full Story
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The Texas Senate has already passed a bill allowing handguns on college campuses. Now the House is poised to consider its own measure. Full Story
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Planning to follow the House's budget debate today? Better clear your schedule. The chamber is set to debate 354 amendments, which are likely to stir debate on issues like abortion, border security, school vouchers and more. Full Story
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Before it commits millions of dollars more to keep state troopers on the border, lawmakers need to know what DPS has accomplished during the border surge, a border legislator said Monday. Full Story
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Texas has joined a growing number of states moving quickly to outlaw powdered alcohol, a new product that health officials say could make it easier for minors to conceal and consume alcohol. Full Story
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When the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals banished a prominent death row attorney this year, it set in motion an interesting showdown not only with the lawyer, David Dow, but one with its own glossier sibling, the Texas Supreme Court. Full Story
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FBI agents have interviewed Texas Health and Human Services Commission employees about the agency's problematic contract with Austin firm 21CT, Executive Commissioner Kyle Janek said Thursday, the first time any official with direct knowledge of the FBI's involvement has confirmed it. Full Story
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Efforts to ditch a law that allows some undocumented students to pay in-state college tuition appear to be on a fast track in the Senate, but key House leaders aren't on board with the idea. Full Story
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A federal court has temporarily blocked a federal rule change that would give medical leave benefits to certain same-sex couples, according to an announcement Thursday from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Full Story
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Texas again went head-to-head with the EPA before the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday, this time challenging federal limits on the emission of pollutants like mercury, acid gases and other toxic metals from power plants. Full Story
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A plan to privatize Terrell State Hospital is dead following a scathing audit that raps the state health commission for bypassing its own contracting procedures. Full Story
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