Simpson requests Special Session over Sanctuary Cities

"Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;"
Proverbs 23:10

Interesting news from Team Simpson following Governor Abbott's recent Road to Damascus moment:

SIMPSON CALLS FOR A SPECIAL SESSION ON SANCTUARY CITIES

“If Texas refuses to uphold the rule of law, we lose our sovereignty ”

(Longview, TX) Wednesday, David Simpson applauded Governor Abbott’s statements on sanctuary cities and his letter to the Dallas County Sheriff in which he told the Sheriff that the sanctuary city polices being implemented by Dallas County will be “No longer tolerated in Texas.”

However, Simpson also asked the Governor to seriously consider a special session to address this issue.

“We must uphold the rule of law within our jurisdiction under our constitutional republic and stop the implementation of sanctuary city policies. How can we complain about the federal government not enforcing immigration law, if we will not uphold our end of the bargain? I support the Governor’s decision to end sanctuary city policies which undermine the fabric of our society. However, we should do it now and not wait till 2017. If sub-political sections of our state will not fulfill their responsibilities, then the Legislature should reign them in now in a special session.”

Earlier this year, following the Supreme Court ruling on marriage, Simpson requested the Governor call a special session to address the repercussions of that decision on the state—particularly in regard to state agencies paying benefits to same-sex couples without legislative approval, protecting the civil and religious liberties of vendors, overreaching local non-discrimination ordinances, and the issuance of marriage licenses. He also called for dealing with the re-defining of the term “parent” on birth certificates without legislative approval.

“I still believe a special session should be called to address the state agencies which are paying same sex benefits with taxpayer dollars not appropriated for that purpose, a practice specifically prohibited in our Texas Constitution. These agencies cannot legally act without legislative approval, and they must be stopped. I believe we could address the marriage issue and sanctuary cities in one special session,” concluded Simpson.

Bottom Line: While we welcome the Governor's recent actions on this subject, there was no reason Sanctuary Cities couldn't have been addressed during this year's regular session and there's no reason to wait until 2017; kudos to David Simpson for pointing this out.