Latest news with #JudithZaffirini
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Texas Senate Passes Map Aimed at Giving GOP 5 Extra Congressional Seats
The Texas state Senate passed a map on Aug. 12 that would give the GOP an extra five congressional seats amid a mid-decade redistricting battle that has included other states such as California. The final vote tally was 19–2 as all but two state Senate Democrats, Juan Hinojosa and Judith Zaffirini, walked out of the chamber. The Texas state House of Representatives must approve the map before Gov. Greg Abbott can sign it into law.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Senate approves congressional redistricting map
Aug. 12 (UPI) -- The Texas Senate voted 19-2 along party lines on Tuesday to approve a congressional redistricting map that is identical to a version in the Texas House. The measure, Senate Bill 4, redraws the state's U.S. House of Representatives districts. Nine of the 11 Democrats in the Texas Senate walked out immediately before the chamber voted to approve the new redistricting map. The only Democrats who remained were Sens. Judith Zaffirini of Laredo and Chuy Hinojosa of McCallen, The Dallas Morning News reported. The other nine Democrats briefly met with reporters outside of the Senate chamber. "There's only one party here that has actually abdicated its responsibility, and that's the Republican Party," Sen. Nathan Johnson, D-Dallas, said. The measure now goes to the state House of Representatives, which has not been able to conduct business since its Democratic Party members walked out on Aug. 4. Many are staying in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles to prevent a quorum that is required to conduct business in the Texas House. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday threatened to call for a series of special legislative sessions to keep the Texas House in session indefinitely. He also has threatened to expand the number of revised congressional districts to as many as 10 to punish the state's House Democratic caucus if they don't return soon. If the House eventually convenes and approves the redistricting bill, at least one legal challenge will be filed. "Under this new, even worse, millions of Texans ... will have their voices silenced," John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, said in a prepared statement. Bisognano accused the Texas GOP of "targeting Texans of color" in the redistricting effort. "Make no mistake, if Texas Republicans enact this discriminatory map, they will face swift, significant resistance from the people and in the courts," he said. If enacted, the new U.S. House districts would be created before the 2026 mid-term elections and potentially flip five seats currently held by Texas Democrats to the Republican Party. The Texas GOP undertook the redistricting task upon the suggestion of President Donald Trump in mid-July. Trump in July accused Democrats of gerrymandering in the respective states in which they control the legislatures and suggested Texas revise its congressional districts. Harmeet Dhillon, the Justice Department's assistant attorney general for civil rights, in July described four U.S. House districts in Texas as "coalition districts" that are comprised of different racial groups who generally support the same candidate. Such districts are not protected by the Voting Rights Act and are subject to redistricting, Dhillon said.
The Hill
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Texas Senate passes GOP-friendly House map
The Texas Senate passed a GOP-friendly House map on Tuesday, putting it a step closer to final passage in the state legislature. The upper chamber voted 19-2 to pass a new set of congressional lines that would give Republicans five pick-up opportunities in the U.S. House ahead of 2026, identical to the map the state House is trying to pass. A group of Senate Democrats left the session, saying in a statement, 'We walked out because this session should be about flood relief, not politics. Texans deserve leaders who put people first.' Texas state Sens. Chuy Hinojosa (D) and Judith Zaffirini (D) remained in the chamber, according to The Dallas Morning News. A Texas House committee advanced its House map earlier this month, but efforts to vote on it on the House floor have stalled as Texas Democrats remain out of the state to deny Republicans a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed present to conduct business. The Texas House needs to pass the new congressional map before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) can sign it into law. Opponents have already signaled they're ready to sue over the maps once they pass. 'Under this new, even worse gerrymander, millions of Texans—targeting Texans of color—will have their voices silenced,' said John Bisognano, president of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), in a statement. 'Make no mistake, if Texas Republicans enact this discriminatory map, they will face swift, significant resistance from the people and in the courts.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas House votes to fast-track evictions in anti-‘squatter' bill
AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The Texas House voted 85-49 Friday to send Senate Bill 38 to a third reading after adding four amendments on the House floor. The bill speeds up the process of eviction, which supporters say is necessary to combat the problem of 'squatters' — people who unlawfully live in an unoccupied home and refuse to leave. Opponents of SB 38 claim it's a device to make it easier to evict tenants, rather than to address the problem of squatting. 'I couldn't find the definition of squatters in this bill anywhere. Do you know where it is, if it is?' State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, asked of three invited witnesses speaking on behalf of the Texas Apartment Association during a Senate State Affairs Committee meeting on March 24. 'We'll have an attorney up after this, who I think can provide that for you,' Stephanie Graves, President of Q10 Property Advisors, said. 'I believe that it was in the bill; it might have been taken out in a revision.' Texas House bans THC products, reduces criminal penalty for possessing intoxicating hemp The initial version of SB 38 made no distinction between any person who failed to pay rent. The word 'squatter' never appears in the bill. 'There's the concept in the law, it's kind of a two-prong,' Corey Rogers with the Texas Apartment Association said. 'It's the 'forcible detainer' which is a person that's defaulted but who would have a right to be there, but there's also the 'forcible entry and detainer'… and that's when they're forcibly entering into a unit.' But the only time the phrase 'forcible entry and detainer' appeared in the initial version of SB 38 is in the sentence 'eviction suits include forcible entry and detainer and forcible detainer suits,' meaning for the purposes of SB 38, there's no distinction between being a squatter or a leaseholder late on rent. 'We looked at the concept, Sen. Zaffirini, of trying to do a whole definition based on squatters, and the problem is that's not a commonly-used definition in the U.S., so we basically handled — besides the forcible entry and [detainer] — we looked at this as a nonpayment of rent,' State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston, said. 'The other way, we were having to go all the way back to English common law to even find any definitions.' 'Right, but all three witnesses used the term squatter,' Zaffirini replied. 'Well, that's right, we use that to explain to the public that's listening, for lack of a better description,' Bettencourt said. Woman who won $83.5 million jackpot not paid 3 months later, sues Texas Lottery Commission However, Dallas-based attorney and tenants' rights advocate Mark Melton said that because of the lack of distinction, the bill is geared towards anyone who's even a couple of days late on rent. 'Texas is one of four or five states that doesn't have a right to cure, which just means if you're late on rent, then you have a few days grace period where, under law, if you show up with the full amount of rent the landlord has to take it,' Melton said. 'What happens here is maybe you've got a tenant that complained too loudly because their air conditioner didn't work in August, and then they're late on Sept. 1. When they show up on Sept. 2 to pay the rent, you say, 'No, no, you can keep the money, I refuse to take it. You're now late, and I'm just going to evict you. We see those kinds of retaliatory issues happen all the time.' The main goal of SB 38 is to speed up the timing of the eviction process, to 'alleviate the strain the eviction process can place on property owners.' The bill would replace a requirement for landlords to give tenants an opportunity to respond to the notice of proposed eviction before handing them a notice to vacate, allowing both notices to come at the same time. SB 38 also increases the methods in which a notice can be given, including any 'delivery to the inside of the premises' and 'hand delivery to any tenant of the premises.' A House floor amendment was voted on to make sure the notices aren't hidden within homes or hand-delivered to children 15 or younger. SB 38 prevents local governments from making any additional eviction proceeding rules other than what's in the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, including any requirements of mediation or pretrial conference. The most transformative aspect of SB 38 was the authorization of judges to rule a 'summary disposition' — allowing the landlord to win without going to trial. Under the bill, the landlord files a sworn petition with the court to start an eviction case, and a sheriff or constable would have to serve the papers to a tenant. The tenant would have four days to respond, and if the court finds there are no disputable facts that would prevent a judgment in favor of the landlord, the court can rule in favor of the landlord without a trial. A House floor amendment dramatically altered the summary disposition clause, making sure it only referred to those accused of a 'forcible entry and detainer.' If summary disposition is denied, the trial would have to start no later than 21 days after the denial. SB 38 will likely be voted out of the House on Saturday with their floor amendments. In addition to the amendments listed above, another amendment was added to give Texans the right to cure their nonpayment of rent if they had never been late any other time under the lease. The Senate will have to choose whether to accept the House's amendments or send the bill to a conference committee before sending it to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk for signing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas bill to ban pet store 'puppy mill' sales doomed after missing deadline, say supporters
Supporters of legislation that would have effectively banned the sale of "puppy mill" dogs and cats have admitted defeat as the 140-day legislative session hurtles toward final adjournment June 2. The twin pieces of legislation, House Bill 3458 by North Texas Republican state Rep. Jared Patterson and Senate Bill 1652 by South Texas Democratic Sen. Judith Zaffirini, were among scores of proposals that on one hand enjoyed bipartisan support but on the other could not overcome the deadlines in place to reach the finish line. The measures would have ended the retail sale of puppies and kittens in pet stores across Texas, cutting off a key supply line for out-of-state puppy mills that profit from inhumane breeding practices. 'Failing to pass the Ethical Pet Sales Bill signals that cruelty and consumer fraud will be allowed to continue in Texas unchecked,' said Shelby Bobosky, executive director of the Texas Humane Legislation Network. "For two sessions, Texas led on animal welfare, passing landmark reforms. But this year, we stepped backward. Texas can and must do better." Several large cities, including Austin, San Antonio and Houston, have ordinances governing the sale of puppies and kittens within their boundaries. Two years ago, legislation that would have imposed pet store regulations across the state stalled. Instead, a measure that curtailed local governmental entities from enacting a wide range of regulatory ordinances — including those aimed at pet stores — was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott. The law did not strike down pet store ordinances already on the books, but it prevents other local governments from imposing similar measures. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas bill to ban pet store 'puppy mill' sales is doomed: supporters
