AG Paxton Leads 19-State Coalition Urging EPA to End Systematic Federal Overreach
“For the last eight years, politics, not law, drove the shape and character of this country’s environmental regulations,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The EPA now has the opportunity to correct that error under the leadership of Administrator Pruitt. We therefore invite the agency to turn away from its recent practices and bring its rulemaking back into compliance with the very statutes from which it derives its authority. The Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act expressly affirm that the states have the primary responsibility to care for the environment. It is about time the EPA respected that role.”
AG Paxton Statement on the President’s Revised Immigration Order
“The executive order issued today by President Trump is a direct response to an ongoing weakness in the refugee vetting process, which was identified to Congress by multiple federal officials, but left unaddressed by the Obama administration. In light of the looming threat of terrorism, the president has both the constitutional authority and solemn duty to take reasonable steps in securing our border. President Trump’s action shows decisiveness in answer to a very real danger, and I appreciate his efforts to protect the safety and security of Texans and all Americans.”
AG Paxton Announces Court Victory in Fight for State’s Right to Secure Student Privacy in Intimate Spaces
“We are proud to have led the 13-state coalition that successfully fought back against the Obama administration’s illegal federal overreach into the intimate spaces within our nation’s schools and workplaces,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The administration’s directive was not just an unwarranted invasion of the privacy of countless students and employees, but it was an illegal usurpation of the authority of state and local officials. The Tenth Amendment guarantees that the federal bureaucracy does not have the authority to upend local policy at whim, especially when federal actors contravene the plain language of Congress. Today’s action is a huge victory that allows states to be free to enact statutes of their choosing.”
AG Paxton Releases Statement on EPA Decision to Withdraw Information Request for Oil and Gas Industry
"We are pleased that the EPA has responded to our request and withdrawn its burdensome and unlawful information demand to oil and gas producers across the country. We applaud Administrator Pruitt for his adherence to the rule of law as he pursues the balance Congress has struck between preserving our environment and allowing our economy to grow."
OAG’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Travis County Man for Possession of Child Pornography
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested 29-year-old Francisco Daniel Arguello of Austin on four counts of Possession of Child Pornography, a third-degree felony. Arguello could face up to 10 years in prison per charge if convicted.
AG Paxton: Texas Leads 11-State Coalition Urging the EPA to Suspend Information Requests Made by Obama Administration
“Many companies involved with this request cannot afford the time and expense of complying with an empty, heavily regulatory burden. The information request puts strain on these companies””and all for the purpose of supporting an unlawful rule,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The EPA’s request, directed only to oil and gas producers, is clearly more harassment than an actual search for pertinent information. We sincerely hope that the era of regulatory harassment is over and the era of common sense regulation can begin.”
OAG’s Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Cranfills Gap Man for Possession of Child Pornography
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested Michael Scott Chastain, 54, of Cranfills Gap, yesterday. Chastain is charged with two counts of Possession of Child Pornography, a third-degree felony, and could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
AG Paxton Applauds Presidential Order to Review the EPA’s Waters of the U.S. Rule
“We welcome President Trump’s action today and are reviewing his executive order,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The Obama administration’s illegal federal overreach on the ”˜Waters of the U.S.’ rule poses a burden to Texas property owners and others whose land would be subject to new EPA regulations. We were encouraged when the 6th Circuit sided with our lawsuit in issuing a nationwide stay against the rule in 2015. And this order by the Trump administration is a significant step toward repealing the Rule and getting the American economy back on track.”
AG Paxton Applauds Consideration of Resolutions Proposing an Article V Convention of the States
“Our constitutional heritage rejects unitary government. It presumes that concentrated power is corruptive,” Attorney General Paxton wrote in the letter. “A Convention of the States enters into the conversation when all other checks have failed. It is the ”˜final’ defense against federal overreach the States can employ.”
AG Paxton Applauds Chairman Phil King’s Efforts to Preserve Voter ID
“Election integrity is one of the most important functions of government, and Voter ID is an integral part of maintaining that integrity,” Attorney General Paxton said. “The updates to Voter ID that Chairman King proposes will make the changes necessary to comply with the Fifth Circuit ruling while ensuring the integrity of the voting process. Chairman King’s leadership is critical to Texas’ ability to use its Voter ID law in the future.”