It’s time for the week that was in Texas politics with Jim Malewitz, an investigative reporter with the Texas Tribune.
After more than 16 hours of debate, the Texas House passed its version of the so-called ‘sanctuary cities’ bill. The bill includes an amendment that Democrats have dubbed the “show me your papers” provision, because it is similar to a controversial Arizona law that allowed law enforcement officers to ask anyone for proof of authorization to be in the U.S., even if the individual was not under arrest. The House and Senate must now reconcile their respective bulls before a sanctuary city measure can be sent to the governor’s desk.
On Thursday, a court in San Antonio held a hearing related to the finding that Texas intentionally discriminated against members of minority groups when it drew congressional district maps in 2011. After the court’s initial ruling that the 2011 maps discriminated, it drew up replacement maps in 2013. Thursday’s hearing dealt with how those 2013 maps must be altered before the 2018 election cycle, to comply with the court’s latest ruling.
“The question is now what to do with those maps,” Malewitz says. “It looks like we’re headed for another trial, probably in July or August, trying to get some resolution.”
Texas is challenging a ruling by the FDA that the state cannot import 1000 vials of a lethal injection drug from India. The shipment was seized, and this week, the FDA made the ban official. Texas filed suit to overturn the ban.
“The opponents of the death penalty say that this should go through the proper approvals to make sure it’s safe for executions, and that we’re not going to see the botched executions we’ve seen in other states,” Malewitz says.
Listen to the full interview in the audio player above.
