I'm Stephanie Wolf with a brief look at the latest news in Texas politics and
policy from the Texas Tribune. This year's first special session came to a close
yesterday. The Senate of the eighty eighth Legislature first call Session expands adjourn siney
dye. It ended with no new laws made and the two chambers still at
an impasse over property taxes. Republican Governor Greg Abbott called a second special session
about as soon as the first ended, with the sole focus on the issue
of property taxes and a statement. Abbot remained adamant that lawmakers should provide tax
relief through something known as compression, a method that sends state funds to school
districts to help them lower their tax rates. On day one of the first
special session, state representatives quickly approved their version of property tax cuts, which
included Abbot's compression plan, and then left the Capital, basically telling the Senate
to take it or leave it. Senators instead passed several versions of their own
plan, which would raise the homestead exemption, directing some of the tax cuts
to homeowners. They tried to entice House members back to the Capital to consider
their proposal or at least get the governor to come around to their tax cut
priorities. It didn't work. Both chambers returned this morning. Abbot said he
would continue to call special sessions until he sees property tax legislation on his desk.
A string of recent prison deaths is raising questions about conditions in the state
facilities amid soaring temperatures in Texas. The Texas Tribune analyzed prison death reports and
weather data and found at at least five incarcerated individuals have died due to reported
heart attack or cardiac arrest since mid June. They were in uncooled prisons,
where the area's outdoor heat indexes were above a hundred degrees. Additionally, at
least four other people incarcerated in hot prisons died from undetermined causes. A spokesperson
for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice told the Tribune that calling these deaths heat
related before an investigation has been concluded would be quote inaccurate, But relatives of
the deceased. Prison rights advocates and some lawmakers blame the deaths on crushing heat
in Texas prisons, and they say the state has been unwilling to do anything
about it. More than two thirds of the state's one hundred prisons lack air
conditioning and most living areas. The heat has killed prisoners, and the state
has paid out millions of dollars in wrongful death in civil rights lawsuits over the
last decade. The state Criminal Justice Department had begun implementing heat mitigation efforts in
recent years, like providing personal fans access to cold showers or time, and
air conditioned areas for prisoners, and advocates say those policies are rarely followed.
In this recent legislative session, state lawmakers chose again to not allocate money toward
installing AC in Texas prisons despite a thirty two point seven billion dollars surplus.
Record breaking heat is becoming the new normal in Texas due to climate change.
This month, the state has seen weeks of one hundred degree temperatures from the
Mexico border up to the Dallas Fort Worth area. Visit Texas Tribune dot org
for our analysis of temperature data across the state and what regions are seeing the
hottest tempts. Federal prosecutors have filed charges against five more people in connection with
what officials have described as the country's deadliest human smuggling event. A year ago,
fifty three migrants were found dead inside a sweltering tractor trailer in San Antonio.
Eight of them were children and one was a pregnant woman. The ac
was broken in the vehicle and there was no water. The majority of the
victims were from Mexico, others came from Guatemala and Honduras. In the indictment,
prosecutors named four suspects, who they say are Mexican nationals and range an
age from thirty to fifty three. Riley Cova, Rubius Ponce, Felipe or
Dina Torres, Louise Alberto Rivera Leal, and Armando Gonzalez Ortega. Prosecutors alleged
that the suspects took part in a scheme to smuggle the migrants who died in
the process. A fifth suspects name was redacted because that person had not yet
been arrested. Officials had already charged seven other people, including the alleged driver
of the eighteen wheeler. If convicted, each fases a maximum penalty of life
in prison, according to the Department of Justice. Check for updates to any
of these stories at Texas Tribune dot org and Follow the Brief podcast for daily
news updates wherever you get your podcast. I'm Stephanie Wolf with the Texas Tribune.
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