A clear sky. Low 67F. Winds light and variable..
A clear sky. Low 67F. Winds light and variable.
Gov. Greg Abbott is seen in a January roundtable discussion in Austin on public safety and law enforcement.
Tyler police officer John Weaver plays the Star Spangled Banner Friday night at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium during a special 9/11 tribute before the football game. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
In this image taken from video law enforcement officers respond to a high school near Houston after an active shooter was reported on campus, Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. The Santa Fe school district issued an alert Friday morning saying Santa Fe High School has been placed on lockdown. (KTRK-TV ABC13 via AP)
In this June 12, 2020, file photo from a screen grab taken from body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department, Rayshard Brooks, right, speaks with Officer Garrett Rolfe, left, in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant, in Atlanta. Former Atlanta Police Officer, Rolfe’s attorney said Thursday, April 22, 2021, that his client didn’t get a chance to defend himself before he was fired for fatally shooting Brooks, a Black man who had been running away from two white officers after he resisted arrest and fired a stun gun at one of them. (Atlanta Police Department via AP, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, July 25, 2020, file photo, the words "I can't breathe" are flashed on a wall during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Ore. State legislatures across the U.S. are pushing an array of policing reforms after the demonstrations related to the death of George Floyd last spring, from banning chokeholds to making it easier to hold officers legally accountable for their actions. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
City Manager Ed Broussard proposes a budget that increases property taxes and water fees and spends more on roads, police, fire, and other services during a Tyler City Council meeting on Wednesday Aug. 14, 2019 at City Hall. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
A Dodge Charger is transformed into a Tyler Police Department traffic car at the city's vehicle maintenance area on Monday Feb. 5, 2018. The police department will have 13 new cars added to its fleet. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Tents line up back to back with personal belongings as they serve as homes for homeless staying under the Valentine Street near downtown Tyler in June 2021.
Linda Wallace, a member of Tyler First United Methodist Church, walks down the church aisle which she describes as her home for the past 25 years. She picked up items on Thursday that were thrown all over the floor and cloths that were draped over the Lord’s table to wash.
Cars under a yellow flag make their way over the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge during the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix auto race Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
Gov. Greg Abbott is seen in a January roundtable discussion in Austin on public safety and law enforcement.
From the right to carry a firearm without a permit, and five other important laws, there are a total of 666 new laws that went into effect Sept. 1. Below are ten of the most interesting new laws in our state.
Tyler police officer John Weaver plays the Star Spangled Banner Friday night at Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium during a special 9/11 tribute before the football game. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Any professional sports team that is under contract to receive subsidies or tax dollars from a governmental entity must play the United States national anthem at team events.
Senate Bill 4 was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 16 and states a governmental entity may not enter into an agreement with a professional sports team unless they receive a written verification that the professional sports team will play the anthem at the beginning of each team sporting event.
Failure to comply with that written verification will result in a penalty in the agreement, which may include requiring the team to repay any money paid by the state or that governmental entity, or classifying the team as ineligible to receive further money under the agreement.
In this image taken from video law enforcement officers respond to a high school near Houston after an active shooter was reported on campus, Friday, May 18, 2018, in Santa Fe, Texas. The Santa Fe school district issued an alert Friday morning saying Santa Fe High School has been placed on lockdown. (KTRK-TV ABC13 via AP)
House Bill 103 establishes an active shooter alert system that will alert Texans of a shooter in their area as determined by local law enforcement. The bill comes after the mass shooting across Midland and Odessa on Aug. 31, 2019, where a mobile gunman killed seven and injured 25 people.
State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa, filed HB 103 worked with families of victims of the mass shooting, aiming to reduce mass violence. The bill requires the Texas Department of Transportation to notify if there is an active shooter within a 50-mile radius.
In this June 12, 2020, file photo from a screen grab taken from body camera video provided by the Atlanta Police Department, Rayshard Brooks, right, speaks with Officer Garrett Rolfe, left, in the parking lot of a Wendy’s restaurant, in Atlanta. Former Atlanta Police Officer, Rolfe’s attorney said Thursday, April 22, 2021, that his client didn’t get a chance to defend himself before he was fired for fatally shooting Brooks, a Black man who had been running away from two white officers after he resisted arrest and fired a stun gun at one of them. (Atlanta Police Department via AP, File)
House Bill 929 requires officers to be equipped with a body camera, worn while actively participating in an investigation to keep the camera activated for the entirety of the officer’s active participation in an investigation.
The bill comes after the killing of Botham Jean, a Black man killed in his own home in 2018 by former Dallas Police Department Officer Amber Guyger who said she mistakenly confused his apartment for her own, shooting and killing him.
Officers will need to keep the video for a minimum period of 90 days and backup copies of the audio and video.
FILE - In this Saturday, July 25, 2020, file photo, the words "I can't breathe" are flashed on a wall during a Black Lives Matter protest in Portland, Ore. State legislatures across the U.S. are pushing an array of policing reforms after the demonstrations related to the death of George Floyd last spring, from banning chokeholds to making it easier to hold officers legally accountable for their actions. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)
Police officers are now prohibited from using chokeholds or excessive force during arrests unless necessary to prevent injury to officers or attendees. According to Senate Bill 69, officers who have witnessed violations must intervene and report incidents involving excessive force.
City Manager Ed Broussard proposes a budget that increases property taxes and water fees and spends more on roads, police, fire, and other services during a Tyler City Council meeting on Wednesday Aug. 14, 2019 at City Hall. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Punishing cities that cut police budgets
House Bill 1900 aims to block large cities of Texas from defunding the police and will punish those that cut or reallocate its police budget, financially.
If a city with more than 250,000 residents is found to have cut police funding, the bill will allow the state to establish a tax-rate adjustment of that city’s sales tax.
A cut in police department budgets is allowed if the decrease is proportionally equal to the city’s overall budget decrease. Approval to cut police budgets may also be allowed if expenses were higher the previous year because of disaster response or capital expenditures.
A Dodge Charger is transformed into a Tyler Police Department traffic car at the city's vehicle maintenance area on Monday Feb. 5, 2018. The police department will have 13 new cars added to its fleet. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)
Felony punishment for blocking emergency vehicles
House Bill 9 increases the criminal penalty for the offense of obstructing a highway or other passageway.
The bill makes it a state jail felony for people who knowingly obstruct an emergency vehicle with its lights flashing and sirens turned on, as well as for obstruction of the entrance of a hospital.
Abbott took to Twitter to clarify peaceful protests don’t include blocking roadways and preventing emergency vehicle access, something that was popular and unfolded during the protests following George Floyd’s death and reactions against police brutality.
Tents line up back to back with personal belongings as they serve as homes for homeless staying under the Valentine Street near downtown Tyler in June 2021.
House Bill 1925 prohibits people experiencing homelessness from camping or residing temporarily in a place with shelter (a tent, tarpaulin, sleeping bag, bedrolls or any devices designed to protect them from weather conditions). The person found in violation of the law would be charged with a Class C misdemeanor.
People who would violate the law can be ticketed with a fine of up to $500. Before being ticketed, the officer must give the person the option to leave, tell them where camping is allowed and educate them on resources available to help the homeless.
Linda Wallace, a member of Tyler First United Methodist Church, walks down the church aisle which she describes as her home for the past 25 years. She picked up items on Thursday that were thrown all over the floor and cloths that were draped over the Lord’s table to wash.
House Bill 1239, also known as the Freedom to Worship Act, ensures the government and state agencies can’t mandate religious outlets to close for any reason, including a pandemic.
After signing the law in June, Abbott said on Twitter that, “The First Amendment right to freedom of religion shall never be infringed.”
The legislation came after Abbott issued an executive order that shut down Texas, including houses of worship as they were deemed nonessential, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abbott later reversed the order.
Cars under a yellow flag make their way over the Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge during the IndyCar Music City Grand Prix auto race Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.
House Bill 2315 relates to the forfeiture of contraband relating to street racing on a highway. This bill allows law enforcement to seize and forfeit vehicles used in street racing if the driver is a repeat offender, driving under the influence, has an open alcohol container or causes injury or death.
House Bill 2622 makes Texas a Second Amendment sanctuary state, protecting Texans’ gun rights from the federal government. The law will prevent the enforcement of any new federal gun law passed after Wednesday that restricts the possession or ownership of firearms, gun accessories or ammunition.
State and local governments are also prohibited from providing assistance to federal agencies that have certain requirements of registry, license and background checks that would confiscate guns or require people to sell them.
Texas is now joining Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Wyoming and Arizona in declaring their states sanctuaries for gun rights.
I cover COVID-19 and health in the East Texas area for Tyler Morning Telegraph, the Longview News-Journal and Tyler Paper Español. Stephen F. Austin State University alumna. For story ideas, email me at rtorres@tylerpaper.com.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.” (Psalm 143:10)