PROSECUTOR: ELECTED OFFICIAL UNDER INVESTIGATION
An Austin prosecutor who heads the state’s anti-public corruption unit told lawmakers Monday that his current caseload includes an investigation surrounding an elected official.
Gregg Cox, head of the state’s Public Integrity Unit, would not disclose the identity or reveal other details about the official. He later described the case to reporters as “run of the mill” and not an investigation that requires significant resources.
Republican distaste for the Cox’s unit has intensified since Gov. Rick Perry was indicted on abuse of power charges last summer for vetoing its funding in 2013. Many conservatives want the unit moved out of the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, which is overseen by an elected Democrat.
Republican Senate Finance Chairwoman Jane Nelson said the functions of the unit are important but should be held accountable to more than just voters in a single county.
The first Senate budget released last week left out money for the unit. Cox said that his office currently has 19 public corruption investigations that are ongoing.
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OPEN CARRY FLIP-FLOP
A week ago, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick angered open carry advocates when he said the issue was not a Senate priority. He made it one Monday. Patrick referred two
bills that would allow for the open carry of handguns, one with a license and one without, to committee, and called for a public hearing “as soon as possible.”
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SNAKE HANDLER BITTEN AT CAPITOL
A rattlesnake has bitten a handler _ but didn’t inject any venom _ during a promotion for the 57th annual Rattlesnake Roundup at the Texas Capitol.
Volunteers stood watch for hours over a dozen snakes Monday, as they slithered around the outdoor rotunda. Carefully, they held the venomous snakes’ heads and tails for pictures.
But in the midafternoon, handler Blake Stephens picked up a serpent whose fang penetrated his thumb, drawing blood and causing him to drop the snake.
The 38-year-old said, “It fazed me but I did my best not to let it show.”
An ambulance was summoned and medical personnel cleared Stephens to return to the makeshift snake pit.
At the roundup, snakes are smoked into the open surrounding Sweetwater, 200 miles west of Fort Worth, and then killed.