FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 28, 2011
CONTACT: Mark Langford at 512-463-0119
Legislature adjourns special session "Sine Die"
(AUSTIN) — The Texas Senate wrapped up its 30-day special session a day early on Tuesday and adjourned "sine die" after completing its business on a number of critical items left over from the regular session.
Sen. Carlos Uresti said he was happy that the Legislature ended the session without passing a controversial sanctuary cities bill, but expressed disappointment that public education was not fully funded.
"Over the coming months, school districts across Texas will start feeling the pain of a $4 billion cut in education funding," Uresti said. "The leadership passed up a golden opportunity to tap the rainy day fund to ease the coming crisis."
The sanctuary cities bill, which would have allowed local law enforcement to inquire about the immigration status of people who are lawfully detained, cleared the Senate earlier in the session but could not muster enough support for passage in the House.
"Latino citizens who faced racial profiling and discrimination under this bill can breathe a sigh of relief," Uresti said. "This bill would have done little to curb undocumented immigration, but it would have forced a sizeable portion of the Texas population to prove their citizenship, perhaps time and again, just because of the color of their skin."
In its closing days, the Legislature passed a school finance bill that will distribute the cuts across Texas school districts. It also passed a bill giving administrators more flexibility over their budgets by allowing them to furlough teachers or impose pay cuts to avoid layoffs.
"It was a tough session all around," Uresti said. "Democrats and Republicans alike cast a number of difficult votes on issues that affect the lives of everyday Texans. I am confident that each member voted their conscience and did what they thought was best for their districts. But some of those votes are going to hurt the people we were sent here to help."
Senator Uresti represents Senate District 19, a 50,000 square mile area extending from the city of San Antonio in Bexar County to the Lower Valley of El Paso County. The legislative district in the nation, it spans two time zones and contains nine of the 14 border counties in Texas, two-thirds of the U.S.-Mexico border within Texas, and all or part of 23 counties. Senate District 19 is home to five U.S. ports of entry, three U.S. toll bridges, 62 school districts, seven military sites, six state parks, and two national parks.