HOUSTON – The Texas Voter ID law is being decided by Appeals Court Judges in Washington, D.C. Is it too much to ask that voters provide proof of who they are by providing a photo ID? That's basically what the law requires. The Justice Department says such a requirement is discriminatory and because Texas has a history of discrimination at the polls (Voting Rights Act of 1965) there is a bigger burden of proof that minorities are not disenfranchised.
State Senator Rodney Ellis (D) Houston, testified for the Justice Department at that hearing and joins host Khambrel Marshall to explain why the Texas Voter ID law is more like a poll tax. Ben Streusand is the Advisory Board Chairman of the Texas Chapter of Americans for Prosperity and says it is a simple process that the state will provide for free for those who cannot afford it. Tune in and watch their lively debate.
The Chairman of the Metropolitan Transit Authority, Gilbert Garcia stops by to talk about the plans and challenges of METRO as it tries to ease gridlock and provide relief to the millions who travel in and through the Greater Houston Metro area. Garcia answers questions from KPRC Facebook friends and responds to Congressman John Culberson who says METRO has plans that taxpayers should not support.
The largest plane in the world will soon be making Houston home! Lufthansa's A-380 airliner has a double deck, and with a capacity of 560 passengers, has 63 percent more cabin space than the next largest aircraft. Mario Diaz, the Director of Aviation for the Houston Airport System joins Khambrel to talk about the importance of having the A-380 choose Houston and what changes it means for Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Make sure you tune in for Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall Sunday at 10 a.m. right after Meet the Press with David Gregory.
More Information:
- State Senator Rodney Ellis, (D) Houston , 281-261-2360, www.senate.state.tx.us/75r/senate/members/dist13/dist13.htm#Office
- Ben Streusand, Advisory Board Chair, Texas Americans for Prosperity, 512-476-5905, www.afptx.org
- Gilbert Garcia, Chairman-METRO, 713-827-9620, www.RideMetro.org, 713-739-4000
- Mario Diaz, Director of Aviation, Houston Airport System, 281-233-3000, www.Fly2houston.com
Statement from Rep. John Culberson:
"My primary responsibility as a congressman is to protect the taxpayers and the quality of life of our neighborhoods. I promised my constituents on Richmond and Post Oak that I would protect them, and I have always guarded the gate of the public treasury from wasteful and unwanted government spending. 96.1% of the residents and business owners on Richmond do not want light rail. The House-passed transportation appropriations bill will protect Houston taxpayers by prohibiting Houston METRO from wasting federal funds to construct light rail on Richmond or on Post Oak. It will also require an independent audit that will verify for the taxpayers exactly what METRO can and cannot afford.
"These two provisions will not have any impact on any current METRO contracts, including the recent federal grants to construct the Southeast Corridor and North Corridor lines. I will continue to support, as I have in the past, full federal funding for other projects that have been approved by the voters and have met the financial requirements of the FTA."