News Roundup: Dan Patrick Says Sandra Bullock Movie About Wendy Davis Filibuster Can’t Film In The Senate

Our daily look at Texas headlines.

By Becky FogelFebruary 9, 2018 1:19 pm

The Standard’s news roundup gives you a quick hit of interesting, sometimes irreverent, and breaking news stories from all over the state.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick isn’t exactly a fan of Sandra Bullock these days. Thursday, in a wide-ranging speech to the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative think tank, the Republican talked about legislative success, the Texas economy, and also, his disappointment about one of Bullock’s upcoming films.

“It saddens me that Sandra Bullock has agreed to play Wendy Davis in a movie called ‘Let Her Speak’ – they’re making a movie about the filibuster? Yeah they are. Sandra Bullock, I used to like her,” Patrick told the audience.

That filibuster happened in 2013, when Davis was a state senator representing Fort Worth. She and other Democrats – including Leticia Van de Putte – were trying to stop a strict anti-abortion bill from getting passed.

“And by the way if I have anything to do with it, I’m not going to let them use the Senate chamber to shoot” Patrick said. “Because they’ve already disgraced the chamber once – they’re not going to do it a second time.”

The Dallas Morning News looked into whether Patrick could ban the filmmakers from shooting in the Senate chamber and it turns out commercial ventures are already banned from shooting there. An exception was only made once for a Brad Pitt project – “The Tree of Life.”




The deadline President Donald Trump set for lawmakers to come up with a fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA is just weeks away on March 5, 2018. Trump is not expected to expect the deadline, though a federal court ruled last month the Department of Homeland Security had to continue accepting DACA applications even if Congress doesn’t reach an agreement on the program.

Still, with that legislative deadline looming, the Dallas school district is working on a plan to help people who may face deportation. Stella Chavez, who covers education for KERA News, takes a look at what steps local officials are taking.

Dallas school officials have created a website for undocumented immigrants who are in the country through DACA. The policy lets people who were brought into the country as minors without documentation to remain in the U.S. legally.

The program is scheduled to end March 5 if Congress doesn’t reach a deal. The Dallas ISD website provides links to resources – such as legal aid — for immigrant families. The site also lists a preparedness plan, encouraging families to update school emergency cards and designate trusted adults who can care for children if parents cannot.

In a letter to families, Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa says it’s heartbreaking to see uncertainly and fear among undocumented families. He says the district is committed to educating all students.




A fix for DACA was again left out of a Congressional budget deal that passed this morning.

John Cornyn, the senior senator from Texas, spoke with reporters Thursday ahead of the votes on the two-year spending deal. He said it was important to separate budget funding from finding a solution for DACA, but the Senate plans to tackle the program next week which may expire in weeks.

“And these young people are going to get what they deserve and what he had promised which is an opportunity have the Senate vote on various proposals that would provide them that certainty and predictability in terms of their future,” Cornyn said.

Houston Public Media reports that immigration advocates marched in Houston and criticized Cornyn, a Republican, as well as Democrats for the ongoing failure to find a legislative fix for DACA.  There are about 120,000 DACA recipients in Texas alone.