President Donald J. Trump’s FEMA Briefing on Hurricane Dorian

Moments ago the White House Press Office released photos and details on the Hurricane Dorian briefing President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received from FEMA. 

Photos from President Donald J. Trump’s FEMA Briefing on Hurricane Dorian

President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence received a briefing on hurricane Dorian, a potentially life threatening and extremely dangerous storm, from Acting Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Pete Gaynor and Acting Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction Dr. Neil Jacobs yesterday.  The President was provided an overview of the hurricane’s impact on Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, and neighboring islands, and the ongoing response efforts there. President Trump directed Federal agencies to continue their efforts to protect lives, promote preparedness efforts, and expedite authorized assistance to areas that have been affected and are still in the path of this dangerous storm during this federally supported, State-managed, and locally executed disaster response.  The President also commended the FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) teams for their hard work during this storm.  He urged Federal officials to help get the word out to those in hurricane Dorian’s path, to follow the directions of State and local officials and emergency responders, and to heed evacuation orders.  The President and Vice President are praying for those who have been affected by, and will potentially face, this hurricane.

Austin, TX: previously convicted felon sentenced for firearm possession, fraud conspiracy

When you read the press release published by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, you'll understand why County Examiner keeps an eye on credit, debit card expiration dates, reviews credit card and bank statements daily, and places a hold on mail delivery prior to travelling out-of-town.

CE and her hubby check their mailbox daily and always deposit outgoing mail inside the post office or an authorized post office drop.

(Austin, TX) In Austin today, U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel sentenced 28–year–old Austin resident Douglas Ryan Dahl to 51 months of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm and conspiring to commit mail and wire fraud using information obtained from stolen mail, announced U.S. Attorney John F. Bash and Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Houston Division.  Dahl also was ordered to pay $3,559.78 in restitution.

According to court documents, between about January 1, and December 25, 2018, Dahl conspired with others to obtain money and goods through fraudulent use of stolen and fraudulently obtained PII.  Dahl obtained mail stolen by other individuals who pried open mail receptacles in the Austin, Texas area.  Dahl was found with thousands of pieces of mail from hundreds of different victims. With a laptop and laser printer, Dahl used the personally identifying information taken from the victims of the stolen mail to create fake, temporary driver’s licenses bearing Dahl’s photograph.  Dahl was found driving a 2014 Ford Taurus in December 2018 that he purchased after obtaining $25,000 in financing using stolen personal identification information.  A temporary Texas Driver’s License was found in the car in the victim’s name but bearing Dahl’s photo.  At the time, Dahl, a convicted felon, possessed a Glock Model 19 9mm handgun and a Remington 12 gauge shotgun.

Dept of Labor division finds Florida agriculture employer in violation of H2-A visa program requirement

An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division found a Florida agriculture employer in violation of requirements of the H2A visa program, resulting in a payment of back wages and civil money penalties.

From a U.S. Department of Labor news release (emphasis mine):

MOUNT DORA, FL - After an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD), AG Labor LLC – based in Plant City, Florida – has paid $16,332 in back wages and damages to 44 employees for violating requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the H-2A visa program. The employer also paid $2,082 in civil money penalties for the H-2A violations. 

WHD investigators found AG Labor LLC – owned by Julio Cruz – violated the labor provisions of the H-2A visa program by failing to meet safety and health requirements for housing guest workers. The agricultural employer also failed to satisfy program requirements when it failed to list all of the job sites where employees would perform work when it submitted its request for workers. AG Labor also failed to pay some employees required wages for compensable time they spent traveling to and from work sites.

With the comment period open through September 24 pertaining to the DOL's proposed rule to modify the certification of non-immigrant workers under the H2A visa program, County Examiner hopes investigations into these types of visa program & FLSA violations remains with the DOL Wage and Hour Division.

Tavares city council to explore "primitive camping" ordinance

Is establishing a "primitive camping" site on a city-owned park the precursor to a full-fledged homeless encampment? One Florida city council will explore the notion of creating the Community Service of "primitive campsites" at a nature park within their city limits.

On the agenda for the August 21, 2019 Tavares, Florida city council meeting is agenda item number 12  : 

"To explore the idea of creating primitive campsites at the Tavares Nature Park"

According to the meeting packet detail, the grant used to purchase the land for the park does allow for primitive camping.

Among the many issues city council will consider is the concern of attracting a large homeless population, as well as potential fire hazards, trash accumulation and human waste disposal.

"Issues to Consider – Staff contacted the Florida State Parks organization and the local parks that offer primitive camping in the region to ascertain what issues they have come across and offer a highlight of their responses:   

o     All of the State Parks that offer primitive camping are monitored with park rangers and charge a small fee for the campsites.
o     Lake Louisa Park Manager stated their biggest issue is from campers cutting down trees and other brush to use for firewood.
o     Fear of attracting a large homeless population was the reason that Lake Griffin State Park in Leesburg did not create primitive campsites.
o     The biggest issue regarding primitive campsites in both the Lower Wekiva Preserve and Rock Springs Run Reserve State Parks is the trash that sometimes get left behind and outsiders using the primitive toilet facilities as they canoe or paddle through the areas.
o     Several rangers mentioned that all their sites are equipped with food lockers as a protection against bears and other wildlife.
o     The Wekiva River Basin State Parks Manager did mention that bears are a concern, however they have more issues with bears in their developed campsites verses the primitive ones because those sites have more food."

The City of Tavares is located in Lake County, Florida. 

County Examiner recently published Florida Department of Health statistics on the outbreak of hepatitis A, including risk factors such as drug use (both injection and non-injection drugs), identifying as men who have sex with men, and recently experiencing homelessness.

With the Department reporting 98 cases of hepatitis A in Lake County, County Examiner hopes Tavares city council also take these health department stats into consideration as they discuss the merits of the ordinance.

Attendance maxed out at South Florida human trafficking event

A training event designed to raise public awareness of the National Human Trafficking  hotline reached full capacity today, announced the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. 

More than 150 people attended a training forum co-hosted with the Federal South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force.

From the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida press release:

"The National Human Trafficking Hotline connects victims and survivors of sex and labor trafficking with services and support.  The National Hotline also receives tips about potential situations of sex and labor trafficking and facilitates reporting that information to the Federal South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force in certain cases.  Through information received by the National Hotline, law enforcement authorities can connect investigations that span jurisdictions across the country."

"he Federal South Florida Human Trafficking Task Force, led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, Miami-Dade Police Department, and International Rescue Committee, works to increase public awareness, identify victims, ensure that survivors receive assistance, and prosecute traffickers. 

The Task Force is composed of federal agencies including, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (specifically, its Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force), State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, and U.S. Department of Labor.  Several other state and local law enforcement entities in South Florida are supportive task force members.  Additionally, the Task Force collaborates with non-law enforcement entities, including the Florida Department of Children and Families, service providers, victim advocates, faith-based organizations, academic representatives and community members. Presently, the Task Force includes more than 300 non-law enforcement members."

On August 8th in this post, County Examiner reported Miami as one of the top three U.S. areas of Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) responsibility receiving requests for service from families impacted by crimes committed by removable criminal aliens handled by the VOICE (Victims Of Immigration Crime Enforcement) office in Q3 2018.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida and the Task Force will host a Human Trafficking Symposium at Nova Southeastern University on Tuesday, October 15, 2019.  The program is free and will provide advanced human trafficking training and resources for victim service providers, law enforcement, prosecutors, medical professionals, and the local community. 

To register for the symposium visit https://nsuinfo.nova.edu/chcs/human-trafficking-symposium/.

Fake marriage operation nets this Indian national 7 years in prison

Foreign national from India overstays his non-immigrant visa, entered into a fraudulent marriage and operated an immigration marriage fraud business in Bay County, Florida. According to the statement of facts he recruited female U.S. citizens to marry Indian foreign national visa-overstays in exchange for payment.

From the U.S. Attorneys Office, Northern District of Florida:

Panama City Marriage Fraud Defendant Sentenced to 7 Years

PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Ravi Babu Kolla, 47, an Indian foreign national residing in Panama City, was sentenced to 84 months in prison for conspiracy to commit marriage and visa fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The sentence was announced by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Panama City received information from the Bay County Sheriff’s Office during November 2017 that an unusually large number of marriages were occurring in rural Alabama counties. The marriages almost always involved male Indian nationals from throughout the United States and local women from Bay County, Florida. The evidence established that Kolla organized over 80 fraudulent marriages, and the majority of the Indian nationals involved had overstayed their visas or Student Exchange Visitor Program requirements and were unlawfully present in the United States. Each bride was to be paid $12,000 over a defined period for agreeing to participate in a fraudulent marriage.

Read the rest here

Not Lawfully Present: previously convicted child sex offender from Mexico sentenced to 4 years in prison

Authorities discovered Ramos in New Caney, Texas during a traffic stop in January 2019. 

During his prosecution in Houston for illegal re-entry into the U.S. the court heard of his 2007 conviction in Los Angeles, California for continuous sexual abuse and lewd act upon a child.

From ICE.gov:

Previously convicted child sex offender from Mexico sentenced to 4 years in prison for illegally reentering US

HOUSTON – A 40-year-old Mexican man who was previously convicted of multiple sex offenses on a 7-year-old, and was removed from the country in 2013, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, Aug. 16.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston, Texas, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Martin Mejia Ramos, aka Ricardo Morales Rodriguez and Martin Jose Romes-Ramirez, pleaded guilty May 10, 2019, to illegally reentering the United States following an aggravated felony conviction.

Mejia Ramos is expected to face removal proceedings following completion of his prison sentence.

At the hearing, the court heard that in 2007, Ramos was convicted in Los Angeles, California, for continuous sexual abuse and lewd act upon a child. He was ordered to serve six years in prison and required to register as a sex offender for life. He was removed from the country in 2013.

Read the rest here

Houston Community College named as defendant in dispute over land purchase for Katy, TX campus

Houston Community College is named one of two defendants in a legal dispute over land the College purchased for their new Katy, Texas campus. 

A review of public records reveals the lawsuit was originally filed March 4, 2019 in Harris County Court at Law No. 4 and was moved into Federal court under a claim of inverse condemnation; the taking, damaging and / or destruction of property for public use without adequate compensation under the Texas Constitution.

According to public documents, Houston Community College and a second party named as a defendant in the suit consented to moving the issue into Federal court.

The underlying basis for the suit lies in a covenant attached to a deed pertaining to the subject property which is located at the northeast corner of Grand Parkway and the Katy Freeway,

Documents associated with the original cause filed in Harris County Court at Law 4 describe the existence of a deed recorded in Harris County, Texas in which Westside Ventures, LTD sold the property to Kickerillo Company Inc. in October 2007.

The deed included a covenant applicable to Kickerillo and its "successors and assigns" limiting development of the property to single-family residential homes. 

In its filings, Houston Community College asserts the single-family use restriction does not apply to them or is not enforceable against them or any entity the property may be assigned to.

A pre-trial conference is scheduled for October 4, 2019 at 02:30 PM in Judge Hughes's Chambers in Downtown Houston.

The case is 4:19-cv-02928

Update: County Examiner received a statement from HCC Trustee Dave Wilson:

“Had the HCC administration made the Board aware of the covenant limiting development of the property to residential housing, hopefully the Board would have voted against purchasing the property in December of 2018. The original Board action barely passed with 5 of 9 members voting for.  

The HCC Board should re-visit, yet another bad real estate deal, and resend this purchase.  HCC has a long rich history of shady real estate deals.”

Raids on Mississippi chicken plants and the intersection of fake documents, disparate impact and employer fines for not hiring illegal aliens

Legal filings out of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi provide some very interesting insight into the raids on the Mississippi chicken processing plants earlier this month.

In some cases cited in the affidavits, under the terms and conditions of ICE electronic-monitoring programs, people who wear the ankle monitors were not authorized to work in the United States . 

But as the affidavits also reveal, an employer challenging the authenticity of the documents presented by employees (let's say under suspicion of forgery, fake social security numbers, photos) used as part of the employment check process could result in the employer being charged with national origin discrimination for failure to hire an illegal alien.

From The Conservative Treehouse reference to a WaPo story on the issue:

"Now, at first review it might sound like the plant employers would be in big trouble; however, buried deep in the article is this statement from one of the employers (Koch Foods), that everyone should pay attention to:

Koch spokesman Jim Gilliland told The Post that Koch Foods risked violating federal law that bans discrimination on the basis of national origin for requesting documents beyond what an applicant provides, if those materials appear authentic.

I can tell you with 100% certainty that what Mr. Gilliland says there is absolutely accurate.  There are two sets of laws in conflict with each-other; and you can be sued, and/or fined, by the United States Department of Labor and/or the U.S. DOJ Civil Rights Division for not hiring illegal aliens.

If you question the authenticity of any applicants identity; and that applicant is one of a legally protected category (think “ethnicity” or “origin”); and the employers authenticity challenge results in a “disparate impact” of non-eligibility for employment – as determined by ethnicity (Latino); then you are in violation of U.S. labor laws.  This happens regardless of it being unlawful to hire illegal aliens.

If you challenge the presented documents, and all the outcomes of those challenges result in non-eligibility of Hispanics as a greater percentage than non-Hispanics, you are violating employment law under the DOJ (Civil Rights Division) definition of “disparate impact.”   In this example, and it is common (believe me), additional employment eligibility checks due to suspicions of false ID’s, is unlawful and legally risky."

We already know use of E-Verify is federal law under 8 USC 132a(d) and one Twitter user suggested an action President Trump could take to make it mandatory through Executive Action:

Exit question: How will President Trump and Attorney General Barr and Acting Secretary of Labor Pizzella deal with the disparate impact issue and DOL fines? Can they do it by eliminating the requirement an employer keep paper backup records of the documents provided as part of the employment check process?

Three Laredoans Arrested for Making False Statements When Purchasing Firearms

On August 5 County Examiner brought you the news of a press release out of the U.S. Attorneys Office, Northern District of Texas. The press release focused on an individual in Lubbock, Texas who the USAO alleged made false statements to a federally-licensed firearms dealer for the purpose of acquiring a firearm. 

And today there's THIS press release about three more individuals in Texas arrested for making false statements to acquire a firearm but this time in Laredo. 

Guess what? The firearms were allegedly destined for Mexico.

From the U. S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Texas:

LAREDO, Texas – One woman and two men from Laredo are set to appear in court for conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States by knowingly making a false statement in connection with the purchase of a firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick.

Ivette Julissa Ramirez, 18, Jesus Abraham Ramirez, 24, and David Arnaldo Garcia, 25, are set to make their initial appearances today at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam Sheldon. 

According to the criminal complaint, beginning on July 29, Ivette Ramirez purchased four AK-47 type semi-automatic rifles over the course of eight days. Law enforcement officials subsequently learned she allegedly made a $3,000 deposit on a .50 caliber rifle at a federal firearm licensee in Laredo. 

The charges allege that on Aug. 13, 2019, she arrived at the licensee with Jesus Ramirez. Both were subsequently observed leaving, with Jesus Ramirez rolling a large gun case, according to the complaint.

Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop and discovered Ivette Ramirez, Jesus Ramirez and Garcia all inside the vehicle as was a Barrett .50 caliber rifle, according to the charges. 

The complaint alleges Garcia and Jesus Ramirez would provide the funds, while Ivette Ramirez made the actual firearms purchases. The firearms were allegedly going to Mexico.

Read the full press release here.

Boise Library to host next refugee community coordination meeting on August 20

This ones for the folks in Idaho that follow the Idaho Office for Refugees and Boise's refugee resettlement agencies.

The Idaho Office of Refugees announced Tuesday August 20, 2019 as the next Community Coordination meeting. It will be held from 1:30 pm-3:00pm local in the Marion Bingham Room of the Main Boise Library. 

As per data extracted from Worldwide Refugee Admissions Processing System (WRAPS), Idaho received 335 refugee arrivals YTD 2019 through August 14th.
 
Topping the list of nationalities resettled in Idaho during the 8 1/2 months of 2019 is the Dem. Republic of Congo with 183 persons from the DRC sent to Boise and 58 from the DRC  to Twin Falls. 

You can view the YTD 2019 report here.

Supervisor of Elections race will no longer be non-partisan

The Lee County Board of County Commissioners approved the adoption of a note in the county charter signifying the position of Supervisor of Elections will no longer be a non-partisan race.

A justification of the note was outlined in agenda documents reviewed by County Examiner. The item summary and background history are as follows:

In April 2019, the Florida Supreme Court in the case of Orange County v. Rick Singh held that the Florida Election Code expressly preempts a Charter County’s authority to impose term limits or provide for non-partisan elections for six county constitutional officers. Lee County’s Charter requires a non-partisan election of the Supervisor of Elections. To comply with the Courts’ ruling, Lee County’s Charter ordinance will be notated to comply with the Court’s holding. This notation will provide that Article III, Sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the Lee County Charter has been preempted by the holding in Orange County v. Singh and is therefore of no further force or effect. Therefore, future elections for the Office of Lee County Supervisor of Elections shall no longer be on a non-partisan basis.

In November 1996, Lee County placed a proposed charter before the electorate to decide whether to become a charter county. The electorate approved Lee County becoming a charter county. In a 2008 referendum, the Lee County Charter was amended to require the Supervisor of Election be non-partisan. The Lee County Charter contains a Savings Clause that states, “if any section, subsection, sentence, clause or provision of this Ordinance is held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remainder of the Ordinance shall not be affected”. Since the Florida Supreme Court has declared county charters containing provisions requiring constitutional officers to be elected on a non-partisan basis unconstitutional, the County Charter will reflect the ruling. Upon adoption of this requested action, future elections for the Office of Lee County Supervisor of Elections shall be on a party, partisan basis.

Tommy Doyle, current Lee County Supervisor of Elections is up for reelection in 2020.

Harris, Hidalgo counties top May list of inmates with immigration detainers in Texas county jails

Harris, Hidalgo and Travis County jails together accounted for 39% of the inmates with immigration detainers housed in Texas County jails for the month of May 2019, reported the Texas Commission On Jail Standards.

In its report dated July 18, 2019 4728 inmates with immigration detainers were housed for a total count of 101,124 inmate days in Texas County jails for the month of May. Topping the list of county jails housing the most inmates with immigration detainers were Harris, Hidalgo and Travis counties with 976, 544 and 343 inmates respectively.

Harris, Dallas and Hidalgo counties were the top three counties with 1095, 862 and 569 inmates respectively on the April  2019 report.

As noted in the report, Texas Senate Bill 1698 authored by former State Senator Tommy Williams became law following the 82nd regular session. SB 1698 mandated the reporting of the total number of inmates with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers housed in jails under the Commission’s purview as part of the monthly population report.

The complete list of Texas county jails, number of inmates with ICE detainers and number of inmate days for the month of May 2019 can be found here. 

City council approves funds to purchase license plate readers

Fort Myers city council recently approved funding distribution in the amount of $45,652.00 for the acquisition of license plate readers for the Fort Myers Police Department.

According to documents reviewed by County Examiner, representatives of the Fort Myers and Cape Coral Police Departments, along with the Lee County Port Authority Police and Lee County Human Services met in June to agree on the distribution of $188,768 in funds set aside by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

Funding originated from the 2018 Edward J. Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program for use by all units of government within Lee County.

In a letter transmitted from Fort Myers Mayor Randy Henderson, the funds will be distributed accordingly:

An examination of the grant application revealed Fort Myers Police Departments prior purchase of equipment from Vetted Security Solutions and finding them to be a reputable company. The acquisition of six additional LPRs from Vigilant will allow FMPD to set the system so it flags:

• Expired License Plate Tags 

• Expired Registration 

• Insurance that is expired 

• Persons of interest in criminal matters 

• Suspended driver's license 

• Outstanding arrest warrant 

• Unpaid taxes or fines 

Florida Statute (316.0778) addresses the records retention requirements of license plate readers. In consultation with the Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of State shall establish a retention schedule for records containing images and data generated using an automated license plate recognition system. The retention schedule must establish a maximum period that the records may be retained. 

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Take a peek inside public school mental health plans

Will elected officials and media report on exactly what is inside the Florida public school "mental health" plans currently under review by school boards across the state? And how thoroughly do parents of school-age children read the darn plans before they sign consent forms associated with registering or in some cases, re-registering their kids?

County Examiner took a peek inside the mental health plans for two public school districts in Florida. 

Collier County

While requiring informed parental consent, on page 10 of this plan document Collier County public schools disclose all children ages 3-5 enrolled in a District operated pre-kindergarten program are subject to "universal mental health screenings. 

Should a child be determined by an outside agency as struggling with a stressful life-event, page 11 of the plan reveals the opportunity for an outside agency to file a "Handle With Care" alert with the school, resulting in reduced homework.

Manatee County

As part of their mental health plan, the Manatee County Public School District reveals the "It's Your Choice Program" Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grant is beginning the ninth year of implementation during the 2018-19 school year, annually serving over 3,000 students in higher risk Manatee County zip codes. 

"Thus far, over 25,000 students have been served by this program. "it’s yoUR choice" provides a continuum of services designed to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce repeat teen births for students attending five traditional middle schools, four traditional high schools two alternative schools, and the TAPP (Teenage Parenting Program) program. One aspect of this program is counseling to help young girls maintain strong mental health in order to break the cycle of teen pregnancy

County Examiner previously reported the development and existence of a Mental Health Allocation Plan is a requirement of a comprehensive Florida statute addressing school safety. We reported on the expansion of the Lee County Public School District which included the addition of (4) school psychologists and six licensed mental health professionals bringing the total plan cost to over $2 million for the 2019-2020 school year.

School districts are receiving grant and other monies for serving ever increasing numbers of students with teen pregnancies and performing more & more mental health screenings. Let that sink in for a bit.

See where this is heading and why reading these plans before signing any parental consent forms is important?

UPDATED: Dr. Laura Pressley responds - Fort Bend County commissioners court to conduct workshop on new voting systems; will the systems produce paper backup records?

Fort Bend County Commissioners Court will conduct a workshop to view four new voting systems certified for use in the State of Texas; will the Commissioners ask for confirmation the machines can produce paper backup records?

According to Item 34 posted on the agenda for the Tuesday August 13, 2019 court meeting the commissioners will discuss these systems:

• ExpressVote Marker

• ExpressVote Tabulator

• Hart Verity Voting

• Hart VerityHybrid 

Fort Bend County Commissioners and constituents attending the workshop should ask:

1. Which voting systems produce the statutorily required ballot images required for manual recounts, including storage and printing?


2. Please confirm which systems support the statutorily required ballot images contain the legal components of an official Texas ballot, such as the election name and date, each candidate’s name, voting squares, and a unique serial number as defined by the Texas Constitution?

3. Please confirm each voting system comports with Texas Election Code statutes 66.023 supporting the printing of Early Voting tapes  that report the precinct returns for that location.

Surely no one wants the Texas Secretary of State in a position to ever issue waivers for counties that do not print backup/ results tapes for Early Voting and Election Day, nor does anyone want the Secretary of State to ever issue waivers to all 254 Texas counties NOT to audit paper ballot results.

A County Examiner source revealed that adjacent Harris County, Texas is strongly considering the acquisition of new voting equipment that can produce paper backup records, and we hope Fort Bend does the same.

Updated: Dr. Laura Pressley responds:

Even with a paper ballot backup, voters and candidates must remain vigilant, step up to perform checks on voting results, be central counting station watchers, and hold election administrators accountable to all Texas election laws.

We must ensure the new systems strictly adhere to all Texas’ paper trail  laws:

• Counties must provide for mandated consecutively numbered paper ballots to voters to prevent vote duplication or removal (Texas Election Code 52.062),
• Election Judges must print mandated results tapes for Early Voting (Texas Election Code 66.023) and Election Day (Texas Election Code 66.022 and 66.024),
• Secretary of State, Election Administrators and Central Counting Station Watchers must ensure audit logs of central counting computers record all electronic entries (Texas Administrative Code 81.62(b)).

Election laws shall not be compromised.  Voters and candidates must be courageous to file

election lawsuits when discrepancies and illegalities are discovered.

Dr. Laura Pressley is the Founder of True Texas Elections, LLC and is an advocate for legal, honest, and transparent elections in Texas and across the country. Donate to the effort here.

Why Floridians should expect businesses to operate lawfully and have a legal workforce

Well lookie here. Two Honduran nationals not lawfully present in the United States allegedly partner with a third Honduran who is a naturalized U.S. citizen, establish a business  in Florida purportedly employing construction work crews mostly comprised of illegal aliens. 

Oh, and just three short months ago an immigration judge ordered one of the men deported back to Honduras. 

From the U.S. Attorneys Office, Middle District of Florida: 

Three Orlando Men Indicted For Scheme To Facilitate Employment Of Illegal Aliens And Evade Payroll Taxes And Workers’ Compensation Laws

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging three Honduran nationals, Gregorio Fuentes-Zelaya (26), Santiago Erazo-Zelaya (25), and Dennis Barahona (36), with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Fuentes-Zelaya is also charged with one count of conspiracy to commit tax fraud, five counts of wire fraud, and two counts of tax fraud. Additional charges against Erazo-Zelaya include one count of conspiracy to commit tax fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud. Barahona is also charged with one count of wire fraud.

Fuentes-Zelaya and Erazo-Zelaya are Honduran citizens who are illegally present in the United States. On May 8, 2019, an immigration judge ordered Erazo-Zelaya to be deported to Honduras. Barahona is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Honduras.

Read the rest here

No word if someones application to enter the United States or apply for citizenship will be subject to review for false statements or misrepresentations.