The Texas House was in session until 3:30 Thursday morning.
That’s after more than 15 hours was taken before approving a strict ban on sanctuary cities.
Among the 93 House members voting for Senate Bill 4, which passed the upper chamber in February, were representatives John Raney of Bryan, Kyle Kacal of College Station, and Leighton Schubert of Caldwell.
Due to the early morning vote, representative Kacal’s weekly visit on WTAW’s The Infomaniacs will take place Friday morning.
From the Associated Press:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) _ The Texas House has approved a strict ban on “sanctuary cities” in the country’s second-largest state, seeking to empower police to enforce federal immigration law against anyone they detain and threatening to jail police chiefs and sheriffs who refuse to do so.
Thursday’s 93-54 vote followed 15-plus hours of emotional debate, much of it from outnumbered Democrats powerless to stop the bill.
Under it, the state could withhold funding from local governments for acting as sanctuary cities, even as the Trump administration’s efforts to do so nationally have hit roadblocks.
Other Republican-controlled states have pushed for similar polices in recent years. But Texas would be the first where police chiefs and sheriffs could be jailed for not helping enforce immigration law.
Texas’ state Senate previously passed a similar bill.