AUSTIN, Texas (May 3, 2017) – Last week, the Texas Senate passed a bill that would effectively end all state government cooperation with refugee resettlement. The move would significantly hinder refugee resettlement in the Lone Star State. Sen. Donald Huffines (R) and Sen. Bob Hall (R) prefiled Senate Bill 260 (SB260) last fall. The legislation…
PIERRE, S.D. (March 17, 2017) – South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard has signed a bill into law repealing the authority of the state Department of Social Services to enter into agreements related to the Refugee Act of 1980. A coalition of 12 Republican representatives and senators sponsored Senate Bill 124 (SB124). Originally, the bill would…
An early draft of an Executive Order Pres. Donald Trump will likely issue Jan. 26 features a provision that sets the stage for further unconstitutional military intervention in Syria. You will find this relatively short directive buried deep in the EO. Sec. 6. Establishment of Safe Zones to Protect Vulnerable Syrian Populations. Pursuant to the…
AUSTIN, Texas (Sept. 22, 2016) – Texas has threatened to pull the plug on state assistance to refugees if the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) does not unconditionally approve the state’s revised resettlement plan by Sept. 30. The move would significantly hinder refugee resettlement in the Lone Star State. The state’s refugee coordinator sent…
PHOENIX, Ariz. (July 11, 2016) – The Arizona State House and Senate leadership soundly rejected the principles of the Founding Fathers during the 2016 legislative session. They protected the Washington D.C. status quo by killing 18 bills that would have blocked the federal enforcement of various unconstitutional programs. To make matters worse, most of the…
CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Mar. 28, 2016) – Wyoming’s Republican state House and Senate leadership soundly protected the status quo by killing six bills that would have blocked the federal enforcement of unconstitutional policies. A rundown of key legislation that failed in Wyoming this year follows: CONSTITUTIONAL TENDER Rep. David Miller (R-Riverton) introduced House Bill 124 (HB124)…
COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 28, 2016) – Last week, the South Carolina Senate stripped a bill of provisions to defund state participation in some contentious federal refugee resettlement programs. A coalition of seven senators introduced Senate Bill 997 (S.0997) on Jan. 14. The legislation would have generally banned state expenditures directly or indirectly benefiting a refugee placed…
PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 3, 2016) – An Arizona bill that would prohibit state cooperation with some contentious federal refugee resettlement programs passed an important House committee this week. If ultimately passed into law, the legislation would take a significant step towards nullifying these programs in practice within the state. A coalition of seven Republican representatives in…
TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 22, 2016) – A Kansas bill would prohibit state cooperation with some contentious federal refugee resettlement programs. The legislation would take a significant step towards nullifying these programs in practice within the state. A coalition of 22 representatives introduced House Bill 2661 (HB2661) on Feb. 10. The legislation would bar state participation or…
PHOENIX, Ariz. (Feb. 18, 2016) – An Arizona bill that would prohibit state cooperation with some contentious federal refugee resettlement programs passed an important House committee yesterday. If ultimately passed into law, the legislation would take a significant step towards nullifying these programs in practice within the state. A coalition of seven Republican representatives in Arizona…