Atención votantes del Condado Harris, ya pueden acudir a cualquiera de los 29 centros de votación anticipada para las elecciones del 6 de mayo.

Los horarios son de 7:00 a.m. a 7:00 p.m. de lunes a sábado y de medio día a las 7:00 p.m. el domingo 2 de mayo. La mayoría de las boletas contienen propuestas municipales

El 25 de abril es la fecha límite para solicitar su boleta por correo, mientras que el día de la elección el 6 de mayo, abrirán 126 casillas. Recuerde que debe llevar una identificación oficial con fotografía.

Puede consultar la boleta en el siguiente enlace: https://www.harrisvotes.com/Voter/View-information-for-upcoming-Elections

También hay votaciones en ciudades como Katy, Humble, Fulshear, Deer Park, La Porte y Galveston. En todas comenzó el periodo de votación anticipada.

Source: telemundohouston

Coming off of a year with elevated statistics, the number of gun thefts so far in 2023 is set to outpace the previous.

In 2021, about 3,700 guns were stolen from cars, according to Houston police statistics. The following year, about 4,400 were taken, which is about an 18% increase.

The statistics for the first three months of 2023 are already outpacing the previous year.

Both January and February showed about a 12% increase, while March fell by three stolen guns compared to March 2022.

Sgt. Tracy Hicks with Houston police’s auto theft division said criminals used to go after laptops and tools when they broke into cars but found them not as valuable on the resale market. Guns, however, are.

“The people that are buying these stolen guns are not people that are allowed to go and buy guns,” Hicks said. “To say 4,400 guns are in the hands of people that aren’t supposed to have guns is scary, and it’s concerning.”

He said thieves often target certain areas and specific vehicles.

According to Hicks, criminals will hit cars at concerts, sporting events, or bars because they know guns are not allowed inside. There is also “gun jugging” happening, which is similar to following and robbing people as they leave a bank, except thieves follow people leaving gun ranges.

Criminals are also profiling vehicles.

“Big trucks that have those ‘Come and Take It’ stickers in the back window,” Hicks said. “Any Second Amendment, pro-guns, military, even as law enforcement, you know, we might have a Thin Blue Line sticker on our vehicle. They target those first.”

HPD is working alongside other elected officials in the city to hand out gun safes that can be put in cars. They have already given out 1,000 and have plans to hand out several thousand more.

Hicks said their plan is getting national attention.

“There’s never ever a time to leave your gun unsecured in your vehicle,” Hicks said. “I don’t want to hear one excuse. ‘Well, I was going to be in here a minute’ or ‘I thought I hid it well’ or ‘I forgot it.’ No, no, that’s not an option.”

The exact dates for the future gun-safe giveaways have not been announced.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued this statement today following the unanimous passage of HB 1, the State Budget. Every session, the Texas House and the Texas Senate alternate sponsorship of the budget. By that tradition, the Texas House will sponsor the 88th Legislative Session’s budget. The Senate passed HB 1 with the language of Senate Bill 1, the Senate Budget, by Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston:

“The true strength of our state lies within every single Texan and our booming economy is the result of their hard work. Texans must be the ultimate beneficiaries of our conservative budgeting process and I believe the Texas Senate’s budget, which passed unanimously today, reflects our state’s values. Even before the Comptroller’s Biennial Revenue Estimate, I have been clear that we must return a significant portion of our unprecedented budget surplus to those who created it: the taxpayers.

“Some highlights of the Senate’s budget include:

• $16.5 billion for the Senate’s property tax relief package, including raising the Homestead Exemption to $70,000 for all Texans and $100,000 for seniors 65 and older (40% of all homesteads in Texas are seniors)
• $4.6 billion to continue current support for Operation Lone Star and to build the wall
• $10 billion to create a low-interest loan program to fund the construction of desperately-needed new natural gas plants
• $350 million to increase pay and training for rural law enforcement
• $3.1 billion in mental health care funding, split between HB 1 and SB 30, the Supplemental Budget

“The Senate’s budget funds the largest increase in public education spending in state history, including:

• $5 billion to address special education services, increased teacher compensation, curriculum, school safety, and school choice
• $3.7 billion, in addition to $1 billion in the Senate’s Supplemental Budget, for cost-of-living adjustments for retired educators and a $7,500 supplemental payment to retired educators aged 75 and older
• $589 million to limit health care premium increases for teachers

“Texas is the 9th largest economy in the world. Writing the budget is a massive undertaking. Senate Finance Committee Chair Joan Huffman has done a fantastic job working with my budget team and I thank her for her enthusiastic work and leadership. The Senate Finance Committee put in long hours of work to craft this budget. Like every budget passed by the Senate since I became Lt. Governor, this budget sits within all constitutional spending limits and does not exceed population times inflation. The Senate’s budget secures our conservative future and will help keep our state prosperous for all Texans for decades to come.”

Source: ltgov.texas.gov