Texas State Troopers Association

August 27, 2010 -- The Associated Press is pressing Governor Perry to release details of his deployments of Texas Rangers on border security missions.

August 20, 2010 -- The Austin American-Statesman reports that the Texas Supreme Court has agreed to hear the DPS's appeal from trial and appellate court rulings which ordered the Department to comply with Public Information Act requests by three newspapers for payment and travel records for out-of-state trips by members of the Governor's Protective Detail. The paper is one of the parties to the suit.

August 18, 2010 -- The U. S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has ruled that fourteen 12-foot-high crosses laid along Utah highways to honor Utah Highway Patrol Troopers killed in the line of duty respect an establishment of religion in violation of the first amendment. The Salt Lake Tribune filed this report. (Note: The TSTA, in cooperation with "We the People of the State of Texas," places monuments across Texas to honor Troopers killed in the line of duty, but our monuments do not include any religious symbols.)

July 31, 2010 -- An editorial in the Dallas Morning News proposes cutting $50 million (26%) from DPS's budget for administration and support.

July 27, 2010 -- Brandi Grissom writes in the Texas Tribune: "State auditors might have found a clue about why Texas has a hard time hanging onto new state troopers: The pay stinks in comparison with big-city officers." Here's the link to Brandi Grissom's report in the Texas Tribune, and here's the link to the State Auditor's report.

July 26, 2010 -- The Austin American-Statesman reports on the DPS 75th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee statewide motorcycle tour, in which twenty riders departed from Headquarters in Austin last night on a 2,400-mile journey around the state.

June 28, 2010 -- The U. S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision in McDonald v. City of Chicago, has struck down Chicago's handgun registration statute. The decision is a landmark victory for gun rights advocates.

June 2, 2010 -- James C. McKinley, Jr. reports in The New York Times: Federal authorities are investigating the origin of one of the largest gun seizures ever on the Mexico border: a cache of 147 assault rifles with banana clips and bayonets discovered in a truck being driven down a residential street in Laredo on Saturday, the local police said. Officers acting on a tip pulled over the truck and arrested the men inside after a short chase. Inside, they discovered 147 new AK-47 rifles, still in their boxes; 263 high-capacity magazines; 53 bayonets; and 10,000 rounds of ammunition — enough for a small army. Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement took the men into custody.

May 26, 2010 -- Austin American-Statesman coverage of the changes to the state employees' group health insurance benefit plan here.

May 25, 2010 -- The Employees Retirement System's Board of Trustees has voted 5-1 to implement changes to the Group Benefits Plan despite objections from state employee groups. State employees and retirees will pay more for office visits ($19 million), co-insurance payments ($32 million), co-payments for prescription drugs ($67 million), co-payments for radiology scans ($3-4 million), and ERS will save another $5-6 million by limiting chiropractic visits and offering an urgent care option.

May 25, 2010 -- In a comprehensive interview with Evan Smith of the Texas Tribune, Senator Kirk Watson (D-Austin) vowed that he would not cast a vote to raise taxes or to dip into the state's Rainy Day Fund until the Legislature reforms what he calls a structurally flawed budgeting process. You can find the full interview at http://www.texastribune.org or you can read what Senator Watson wrote to supplement his remarks here.

May 21, 2010 -- The Statesman's Mike Ward reports that the metal detectors are in place at the Texas Capitol building and will be operational very soon.

May 17, 2010 -- Jack Colley, Chief of Emergency Management at the Department of Public Safety, has died. He was 62 years of age. The Department's press release is available here.

May 12, 2010 -- Governor Perry, presumably in close collaboration with Col. McCraw and the Public Safety Commission, has published a 5-year strategic plan for homeland security. You can read the 66-page report here.

May 7, 2010 -- More dreadful news about state employees' health insurance. According to an article published today by the Texas Tribune, ERS's $140 million shortfall for the current fiscal cycle is the least of anybody's worries. The fund needs $1.5 billion over the next three years.

Publications

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