Sanctuary Cities Bill Goes Off The Rails [Politics]
"Gutting" is possibly a misnomer. Actually, Hinojosa performed what amounts to a complete transplant on the bill. He proposed CSHB 12, a committee substitute that replaced the original language with the entire text of Senate Bill 9. SB 9 is Williams' omnibus Homeland Security bill that, among other things, would require all Texas cities to participate in the federal Secure Communities program and require all employers to use E-Verify. The bill contains no legislation pertaining to local law enforcement of immigration policies. SB 9 was passed by the Senate last month, but has languished in House committee since. With the clock ticking on the session, Williams saw a chance to get his legislation moving again and so gave his blessing to the maneuver.
Senate Democrats had hinted at an unlikely coalition forming against HB 12. But surely no one--especially not Governor Rick Perry, who placed sanctuary cities high on his list of emergency items at the beginning of the session in an effort to expedite passage--would have expected every member, Democrat and Republican, of the Transportation and Homeland Security Committee to support the new language.
From here, the bill goes to the full Senate to be voted on and, if passed, returned to the House, which may or may not accept the new bill. If the House rejects it, then HB 12 will go to conference committee, where lawmakers from both houses will attempt to hash out a compromise. Sanctuary cities legislation could still be saved, but as Sine Die looms over the session, the prospects for passage look significantly dimmer. Count this one as a rare victory on the Dem scoreboard, at least for now.
