Lone Star Report Recent Blog Posts

Correspondence from U.S. Attorney John E. Murphy warned of the potential consequences -- including the cancelation of flights to and from Texas -- if the anti-TSA-groping bill passes.

"I voted for it [HB 1937], and I know people have concerns ... but I get concerned when I see a letter from the Department of Justice" warning of the consequences, said Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D-McAllen) this evening as Senators debated the bill.

LSR reviewed a copy of that letter, adressed to Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus, the House Clerk, and the Senate Secretary.

"If HR [sic] 1937 were enacted, the federal government would likely seek an emergency stay of the statute," the letter read, on U.S. Department of Justice, Western District of Texas, stationery. "Unless or until such a stay were granted, TSA would likely be required to cancel any flight or series of flights for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew. We urge that you consider the ramifications of this bill before casting your vote." ...

A freshman Representative filed a bill to penalize airport body scanner operators: Including TSA agents.

Can they do that to a federal agent? Bill author Rep. David Simpson (R-Longview) thinks so. And he's not alone, with 18 co-sponsors from both parties (see list below) and a few organizations.

The bill, HB 1938, makes it a civil penalty for anyone working in a locally owned airport to install or operate whole-body imaging equipment -- "including a device that uses backscatter x-rays or millimeter waves, that creates a visual image of a person's unclothed body and is intended to detect concealed objects," the bill read.