Texas House advances bill requiring A/C in prisons; proposal's fate uncertain in Senate
The Texas House overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday night to require air conditioning across the state's prison system, marking the third time in five years that the lower chamber has approved such a measure. The Senate has declined to take it up in the previous two sessions.
The 89-43 vote comes less than two months after an Austin federal judge declared extreme heat in Texas prisons to be 'plainly unconstitutional' and warned lawmakers that he expects to order the state to install permanent air-conditioning systemwide. It also took place hours before a midnight cutoff for the House to pass bills originating in that chamber.
House Bill 3006 is expected to face an uphill battle in the more conservative state Senate, which has repeatedly declined to hear similar proposals.
Democratic state Rep. Terry Canales of Edinburg, a criminal defense attorney, said he filed the bill because the constant, sweltering heat in lockups is 'inhumane' and constitutes cruel and unusual punishment.
'Many people are not violent offenders,' he told the American-Statesman. 'They surely didn't get sentenced to death. But we're killing them. We're cooking people.'
Over 60% of Texas inmates are being held on violent offenses, 15% on drug-related offenses and 9% on property offenses. The average prisoner is 41 years old, according to Texas 2036, a center-right policy think tank.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice Director Bryan Collier has acknowledged that heat was a factor in three inmates' deaths from multiple causes in 2023. Prison guards and staff members also continue to fall ill from heat exposure, and the system struggled with a turnover rate of 26% in 2023, one of the hottest years in recent Texas history.
HB 3006 outlines a three-phased approach that would require TDCJ to install climate control in one-third of its facilities by 2028, another one-third by 2030 and the final third of the facilities by 2032 — but only if it receives the funds to do so. The agency would be mandated to solicit competitive bids from private contractors to complete the project, and the cost would be capped at $100 million per phase.
Canales described visiting the minimum-security prison in his hometown on a broiling Texas summer day, where the odor of male sweat is so strong that 'you can taste it' and where prisoners flood their cells with toilet water, then 'take turns lying in it' overnight to cool down.
In a yearslong legal battle over the climate control in Texas prisons, plaintiffs are asking the court to require the state to maintain cell temperatures between 65 and 85 degrees, a similar range as Texas jails and federal prisons are required to maintain. Nearly 70% of cells in the state prison system lack air conditioning, according to a court filing in the lawsuit.
On the state's current trajectory, it would take at least 25 years to ensure all cells are climate-controlled, which is "insufficient under the Eight Amendment," U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman found in his March ruling on a request for a preliminary injunction. Pitman urged Collier to prepare for an adverse final ruling that would require Texas to air-condition all cells, and he recently scheduled a jury trial for March 2026.
TDCJ has installed nearly 48,000 "cool beds" in its system so far and is in the process of procuring 12,000 more. The agency received $85 million for additional air conditioning installation in 2023 and is requesting another $118 million for the next bieennium, which it says would allow for 16,000 more air-conditioned beds. That would bring the total number to 78,000 in a system that housed nearly 133,000 inmates in 2023.
Even if a bill requiring A/C does not pass the Senate, it is likely that the prison system will receive more state funds to install air conditioning. State Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, told the Texas Tribune that the state budget will include the $118 million the TDCJ has requested to install around 11,000 additional cool beds over the next two years. The state will also allocate $3 million for new dorms, which would be air conditioned, she wrote in the statement, the Tribune reported.
Huffman did not respond to Statesman requests for comment.
State Rep. Richard Hayes, R-Hickory Creek, said he voted against the proposal because he believed a federal judge had already required the state to install air conditioning in prisons. He also doesn't believe all prisoners need climate control, though he said some populations do.
"We didn't have A/C when I was a kid," Hayes told the Statesman, adding that some military facilities also lack air conditioning.
Canales, the House's second-most conservative Democrat as per the Texas Tribune's 2023 rankings, disagrees with lawmakers who view installing A/C as 'soft on crime.' Heat can increase aggression and cause disorientation among inmates, he said, making them more difficult to control for guards who also struggle in sweltering temperatures.
'It's not soft on crime,' Canales said. 'It's stupid on crime.'
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas House overwhelmingly passes bill to require A/C in state prisons
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Vance blames California Dems for violent immigration protests and calls Sen. Alex Padilla 'Jose'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fueled the unrest by sending in federal officers. Vance also referred to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, the state's first Latino senator, as 'Jose Padilla,' a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids. 'I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question,' Vance said, in an apparent reference to the altercation at Noem's event. 'I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't a theater. And that's all it is.' 'They want to be able to go back to their far-left groups and to say, 'Look, me, I stood up against border enforcement. I stood up against Donald Trump,'' Vance added. A spokesperson for Padilla, Tess Oswald, noted in a social media post that Padilla and Vance were formerly colleagues in the Senate and said that Vance should know better. 'He should be more focused on demilitarizing our city than taking cheap shots,' Oswald said. Vance's visit to Los Angeles to tour a multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center and a mobile command center came as demonstrations calmed down in the city and a curfew was lifted this week. That followed over a week of sometimes-violent clashes between protesters and police and outbreaks of vandalism and looting that followed immigration raids across Southern California. Trump's dispatching of his top emissary to Los Angeles at a time of turmoil surrounding the Israel-Iran war and the U.S.'s future role in it signals the political importance Trump places on his hard-line immigration policies. Vance echoed the president's harsh rhetoric toward California Democrats as he sought to blame them for the protests in the city. 'Gavin Newsom and Karen Bass, by treating the city as a sanctuary city, have basically said that this is open season on federal law enforcement,' Vance said after he toured federal immigration enforcement offices. 'What happened here was a tragedy,' Vance added. 'You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law and they had rioters egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job. That is disgraceful. And it is why the president has responded so forcefully.' Newsom's spokesperson Izzy Gardon said in a statement, 'The Vice President's claim is categorically false. The governor has consistently condemned violence and has made his stance clear.' In a statement on X, Newsom responded to Vance's reference to 'Jose Padilla,' saying the comment was no accident. Jose Padilla also is the name of a convicted al-Qaida terrorism plotter during President George W. Bush's administration, who was sentenced to two decades in prison. Padilla was arrested in 2002 at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport during the tense months after the 9/11 attacks and accused of the 'dirty bomb' mission. It later emerged through U.S. interrogation of other al-Qaida suspects that the 'mission' was only a sketchy idea, and those claims never surfaced in the South Florida terrorism case. Responding to the outrage, Taylor Van Kirk, a spokesperson for Vance, said of the vice president: 'He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law.' Federal immigration authorities have been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfill Trump's promise of mass deportations. Todd Lyons, the head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has defended his tactics against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed. The friction in Los Angeles began June 6, when federal agents conducted a series of immigration sweeps in the region that have continued since. Amid the protests and over the objections of state and local officials, Trump ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to the second-largest U.S. city, home to 3.8 million people. Trump has said that without the military's involvement, Los Angeles 'would be a crime scene like we haven't seen in years.' Newsom has depicted the military intervention as the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to overturn political and cultural norms at the heart of the nation's democracy. Earlier Friday, Newsom urged Vance to visit victims of the deadly January wildfires while in Southern California and talk with Trump, who earlier this week suggested his feud with the governor might influence his consideration of $40 billion in federal wildfire aid for California. 'I hope we get that back on track,' Newsom wrote on X. 'We are counting on you, Mr. Vice President.' ___ Associated Press writers Julie Watson and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Tran Nguyen in Sacramento contributed to this report.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Ohio Reps. Marcy Kaptur, Shontel Brown on list of suspected Minnesota shooter
(AP/WJW) — From a legislator in downtown Minneapolis to a veteran Ohio congresswoman, many lawmakers included in the suspected Minnesota gunman's list of targets have vowed not to bow down. Vance Boelter, 57, has been charged with federal murder and stalking, along with state charges, following a nearly two-day search that culminated in his capture in the woods near his home. Lawmaker killings prompt security increase in Ohio He is suspected of shooting and killing former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday. He is also accused of wounding Democratic Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The dozens of politicians included in Boelter's writings were Democrats, according to acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson. About 45 were state and federal officials in Minnesota, while elected leaders in Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin said they were also mentioned in the writings. Authorities have not provided a motive for the shootings. Manny Atwal, Boelter's lead attorney, declined to comment, saying the office just got the case. Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman's beloved dog also shot during attack, euthanized Ohio's own U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur's office said in a statement that her name was included in Boelter's writing but that it will not get in the way of her work 'to make life better for families across Northwest Ohio.' Here's what the statement said in full: Congresswoman Kaptur is exceedingly grateful to law enforcement for keeping our Great Lakes communities safe on several occasions over these past few years and for their work around the clock this weekend in Minnesota. Political extremism in America is cause for serious reflection and concern. The inclusion of Congresswoman Kaptur's name in the Minnesota suspect's writings is a matter better left for law enforcement and investigators — but it will not deter her work to make life better for families across Northwest Ohio. Uplifting those who she has the honor to serve has been her sole focus every single day she has served and nothing will deter her from doing so now. At this time out of respect to law enforcement working around the clock locally, and nationwide to keep law makers safe, we will not be providing further public comment on this matter. Additionally, U.S. Representative Shontel Brown said in a statement that her name was also recovered from the suspect's notes. She released the following statement: The politically motivated attacks targeting Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were a horrific assault on our democracy and a heartbreaking tragedy for the families affected. My thoughts are with them—and with all who are shaken by this act of violence. I have been informed that my name appeared in evidence recovered from the suspect's notes. At the request of the U.S. Capitol Police, local law enforcement provided increased security at my home. I'm deeply grateful for their swift response and continued commitment to keeping public officials—and our communities—safe. This is a grim reminder of the growing threat public officials face—one that puts not just us, but our families, staff, and constituents at risk. I was swatted last year. Now my name is linked to another violent act. No one should feel unsafe simply for serving their community. The rise in violent rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and personal attacks is having real and dangerous consequences. Every leader—regardless of party—must speak out and stand against political violence in all its forms. On Wednesday, Brown spoke with FOX 8 News and said she is hopeful for the future. 'I am hopeful that because this incident occurred that we will be able to move forward with some standard policies and procedures on how to move forward with this without this escalating to a point where someone else's life is going to be lost,' Brown said. See more about the legislators included on the list right here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
User's manual to the Big, Beautiful Bill this weekend and early next week
Next week is crucial to passage of the Big, Beautiful Bill in the Senate. If things go well, the bill could be done by the end of next week. If things go poorly, the Senate may be crashing to finish the bill before July 4. That could involve weekend sessions and the cancellation of the July 4 recess. On Sunday, Senate Republicans huddle with Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to whittle away provisions which don't comport with Senate budgetary rules. The Senate is using a special process known as "budget reconciliation" to avoid a filibuster. As a result, the bill must be fiscal in nature and not add to the deficit. It cannot include "policy." This is known as the "Byrd Rule." It's named after late Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.V.). The process of meeting with the Parliamentarian is the "Byrd Bath." MacDonough serves as a referee to decide what fits with Senate budget rules. The various provisions which MacDonough fillets from the bill are called "Byrd droppings." Anyway, despite the cornpone Senate humor, the process offstage on Sunday is crucial to the process. What's ruled in or out could bolster chances of passing the bill – or kill it. We will start to get information about what is ruled in or out over the weekend and stretching into Monday. Those policy details will be critical. So watch for leaks and other information to dribble out beginning on Sunday. This process will roll into early next week with an initial vote to begin the process mid-week. It will culminate with a round-the-clock voting session (known as a "vote-a-rama") late next week. Then the measure must go back to the House. That's because the Senate will inevitably change the bill. The House and Senate must be aligned before the bill can go to the president's desk. And this is why the deadline to finish the bill by July 4 may slip.
