Houston Newsmakers: Ballot Integrity or suppression?

Voting Integrity or Suppression? (KPRC/Pixabay)

A national fight over voting rights is now on the front burner in the Texas Legislature where Lt. Governor Dan Patrick says State Senate Bill SB7 is clearly in the best interest of Texans.

“Senate Bill seven is about voter security, not about voter suppression,” Patrick said. “And I’m tired of lies and the nest of liars who continue to repeat them”

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee is a guest on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall and says what’s happening is a travesty worth national legislative attention.

“Why is Texas engaging in the pandemic of voter suppression,” she said. “There is no answer and that’s why we’re moving forward on federal legislation to stop this tomfoolery and to provide the opportunity for all voters to be able to vote, no matter who you are and what party you are.”

Murders and bond reform

What does it take for a violent defendant to be kept in jail? Texas law seems to make it difficult for judges to keep them locked up and it’s a problem not getting better.

“Defendants released on two to four bonds, charged with new crimes have almost tripled since 2018,” said Andy Kahan, Director of Victim Services and Advocacy for Crime Stoppers of Houston. “Homicides by defendants released on bond have more than doubled since 2018.”

Kahan is a guest on this week’s program to talk about the bond reform legislation being pushed in Austin and why all of us should care.

“The bills that we’re proposing will allow judges to more latitude and more discretion not to allow repeat habitual violent offenders back out on bond "

Lessons from Hurricane Harvey flooding

The news about how our region might fare in the coming tropical season is not good. Jim Blackburn is author of the report, “Houston Flooding Three and Half years after Harvey” and says how we prepare is critical and that mother nature is not our friend when it comes to tropical storms.

“The biggest take away is that climate change is happening,” he said. “We are seeing it with Harvey. We saw it back with Allison and frankly I think we’re going to see more severe rain events in the future and we’re going to see more severe hurricanes in the future.”

The Co-Director of the SSPEED Center at Rice University focuses on storm prediction and how we can safely evacuate away from danger. A link to his eye opening report can be found below. See his interview on this week’s Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall Sunday morning at 10:30

More Information:

U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D) 18th Congressional District · Website: https://jacksonlee.house.gov/

· Twitter: @JacksonLeeTX18

Andy Kahan, Director, Victim Services and Advocacy, Crime Stoppers of Houston · Website: https://crime-stoppers.org/about-us/our-team

· Twitter: @CrimeStopHOU

Jim Blackburn, Co-Director SSPEED Center, Rice University · Website: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/experts/jim-blackburn/

Houston Flooding Three and Half years Later: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/media/files/files/37436aa9/bi-pub-yearafterharvey1.pdf

· Twitter: @BakerInstitute