"In my trip to the border earlier this month, our DPS Troopers advised a physical wall is one of their best defenses on the border, along with more personnel and technology."
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – 2,000 people per day are apprehended while crossing the border, in three counties of the McAllen Sector alone. As Governor Abbott stated this week, the Biden Administration’s policies have opened the floodgates for people to enter the United States. While some of these people are families fleeing Central & South America, others are trafficking drugs, weapons, and committing crimes in the country.
During my trip to the border earlier this month, our DPS Troopers advised a physical wall is one of their best defenses on the border, along with more personnel and technology.I support Texas’ efforts to secure the border and restore order to the communities most impacted by the current border crossings. I will continue to initiate operations to reinforce our DPS Troopers and National Guardsmen who are stopping bad actors at the border.
- Governor Abbott announced a donation page where individuals can contribute to Securing the Border.
- For more information from Governor Abbott’s Press Conference CLICK HERE.
ERCOT and the PUC briefed the Texas Legislators this week on the status of the Texas Electrical Grid. The main takeaway: no power outages are anticipated at this time. The unusually high demand for this time of June, lower than anticipated wind generation, and unexpected mechanical outages prompted ERCOT to issue a conservation notice to prevent emergency outages.
Texans responded by curbing demand to sufficiently avoid these outages. ERCOT utilized increased amounts of natural gas to offset lower wind generation and initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the unusually high number of mechanical failures.
The week-long conservation notice remains in effect through Friday afternoon. This conservation notice from ERCOT is a standard tool used by power region managers to balance energy supply and demand. The notice issue Monday extends for a week, instead of an hourly or daily notice, in order to be more conservative with energy supply and take greater efforts to avoid blackouts or emergency outages.
I will be following up with ERCOT to get the results of their investigation into the mechanical failures and will continue to relay this information to you all as it becomes available.
Protecting 2nd Amendment Rights in TexasGovernor Abbott signed seven bills into law to protect 2nd Amendment Rights in Texas. These bills will:
- Enact Constitutional Carry
- Protect Texans from new federal gun control regulations, and
- Prohibit government discrimination against firearm businesses
Texas Public Safety
We promised to ensure our law enforcement had the tools and resources they needed to keep our communities safe. We delivered by passing several important public safety bills. These included:
- A penalty for cities that try to defund their police (HB 1900, Goldman)
- Punishment for protestors who block emergency vehicles (HB 9, Klick)
- Requiring certain counties to hold elections before reducing the funding of the county’s primary law enforcement agency or reallocating their funds (SB 23, Huffman)
- Establishing the Texas Consumer Privacy Act to limit state agencies ability to sell or disclose personal information to third parties (SB 15, Nichols), and
- Establishing a grant program to help law enforcement agencies cover the costs of storing body-worn camera footage (HB 1938, Jetton).
Gulf Disturbance Update
A broad area of low pressure over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico is producing widespread but disorganized cloudiness, showers, and thunderstorms. This system is expected to move northward, and a tropical or subtropical depression is likely to form over the west-central Gulf of Mexico early Friday and into the weekend.
Regardless of development, a large amount of rain is expected for our area. While this storm will likely shift east of Texas, it is a good reminder that hurricane season is upon us. Stay weather aware and ensure your family is prepared for inclement weather. Happy 244th Birthday to the U.S. Army!
This week, on June 14th, we celebrated the U.S. Army’s Birthday
Happy 244th Birthday, Old Glory!
Flag Day commemorates the date in 1777 when the United States established its first national flag.
Our flag has flown across the globe, on the moon, and now on Mars. It is a symbol of freedom and liberty around the world. Let’s fly it proudly this week during National Flag Week.
Texas Redistricting
Mark your calendars! The House Redistricting Committee will hold hearings in Houston on July 13, 10am & July 17, 11am. When these dates become definite, the Committee will post a formal notice. Hearings have a designated regional focus, but testimony is not limited by region. Witnesses can participate virtually or in-person in Austin.
- Please check out the redistricting website to learn more.
