Until just a few days ago, it looked like the legislative push to allow Texans to carry handguns without permits was on life support after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said a Texas House-backed proposal to allow permitless carry didn’t have enough support in the Texas Senate to get a full-hearing, let alone be approved by a majority of Senators and sent to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk for his signature.
But Patrick has now promised the bill will get a hearing before the state Senate this week as he claims to continue rallying support for it behind the scenes despite opposition from Texas law enforcement officials. Abbott, who initially refused to say whether he supported permitless carry or not, has now come out publicly in favor of doing away with the state’s handgun license requirements.
Created in 2002, ICE has been maligned over the years by conservatives for not doing enough to curb illegal immigration and by the left for deporting too many immigrants. During former President Donald Trump’s administration, progressive activists even called for ICE to be disbanded, a request moderate Democrats like Biden have rejected.
Gonzalez, a Democrat and longtime HPD veteran who served three terms on Houston’s City Council, publicly pushed back against harsh immigration policies during his tenure as Harris County Sheriff after he was first elected in 2016. Although his sheriff’s office didn’t cut off all cooperation with ICE, Gonzalez decried Trump’s decision to crack-down on illegal immigration, and instructed his officers not to proactively ask about the immigration status of suspected criminals.
HPD officer accused of excessive force no longer an HPD employee click2houston.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from click2houston.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By iHeartMedia s Corey Olson
Apr 8, 2021
Houston has seen a surge in crime over the past couple of years, and much of it can be attributed to the bond reform movement that took hold after Democrats swept all county offices in 2018. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg recently testified before the state legislature that the number of crimes committed by people while out on bond tripled from around 6,000 on 2015 to around 18,000 in 2020.
Ogg s testimony came in support of Senate Bill 21, filed by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston), which would tighten up the Texas bail system and eliminate some of the reforms that have led to the problem. Even Democrats like Ogg and now-former Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo have directly blamed the rise in violent crime on bail reforms that release dangerous criminals onto the streets.
Bailing Out: Bond Reform Proves Disastrous in Harris County iheart.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iheart.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.