Republicans Hate Immigrants And The Constitution

them from article 11 to articles 2 and five respectively. Chair recognized Mr. Alcott to explain the motion. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Members, um my motion is pretty simple. It takes two amendments. Um very important for clarification on how much illegal aliens are costing um Texas taxpayers. Um two of those amendments were moved to article 11 on budget night. This is simply to a motion to instruct to move those articles to the move those amendments to the respective articles in the budget. Um, and like I said, each of these amendments gives taxpayers clarity on the cost that illegal aliens are imposing on the state of Texas and the citizens. Mr. Chassel, for what purpose? Will the gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yield for questions once I finish. Um, not at this time, Mr. Chasseline. Amendment 253 supports Governor Abbott's executive order to collect data on how much illegal aliens are costing hospitals for uncompensated care. And amendment 315 collects data on the cost of illegal aliens in our prison systems. I believe that our budget conferees should fight to ensure these amendments make it into the final budget. Again, none of these changes um existing policies, none of them require an appropriation. They only provide transparency for taxpayers and I appreciate your vote, Mr. Chassel. For what purpose? Would the gentleman yield for questions? Gentleman yield for questions. The gentleman yields. Representative Alcott, I want to make sure I've heard you correctly. This lines up with something that Governor Abbott issued an executive order on. Is that correct? Yes, sir. One of those do. The amendment 253 does. Yes, sir. So, it's interesting. We would It's interesting that we would need to spend our time doing something like this. We We really should have already done it. Can you tell me roughly how much money hospitals are having to spend on health care for illegal immigrants? Um, that's actually one of the points of this amendments to make sure we find that out. It's my understanding. Go ahead, sir. So, they're not tracking it. Uh, they based on Governor Abbott's executive order, um, some of that information might be available at March, but we haven't seen it yet. This basically just gets it into law to make sure that the hospitals are following through and complying. Wouldn't that data be incredibly important if we were serious about addressing the invasion that happened at our southern Texas border? I think it is. I think the Texas taxpayers deserve to know how much that invasion is costing. What What about our prisons? Do we at least know how much of our incarcerated population are illegal aliens? I think many of the prisons do know and they are, but they don't have it in any kind of database which is going to make it difficult for them to provide a report to to the legislature, this body, and to the governor. And so I think um my second amendment that I'm having moved to the I'm asking be instructed to move into the the budget would do just that. It would actually require the prisons um to actually compile that data and share it with us so we know what we're dealing with. So just so we're clear, we're not tracking health care costs. We're not tracking incarceration rates and we're certainly not aggregating any of it. No, we're just collecting data, sir. Well, this sounds like an incredibly simple vote. I'll be voting yes on your motion. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, Miss Flores, for what purpose? Will the gentleman yield for questions? Does the gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yields. Uh, could you tell me which planets these aliens are from? I wasn't aware that they were extraterrestrial uh bodies in in Texas. Yes. Um, a aliens is a technical term used by the government themselves. Um, you know, my wife at one point was a resident alien. Um, there it's a simple term that's been around for a long time. It doesn't mean anything derogatory the into the individual. It simply means that these people are in this country all unlawfully and therefore they're considered illegal aliens. Thank you. It would be better if you might say illegal immigrants are maybe uh foreigners. But yes, my issue with that is when you say illegal immigrants, immigration typically is done the legal way. And when you're coming in here illegally, I don't consider that necessarily immigration. I consider that um unlawful presence. Thank you, Mr. Ania. For what purpose? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the gentleman yield for some questions? Does the gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yields. Yeah. You referred to an executive order by the governor. Um what when was that executive order done? This past fall. Okay. October, maybe Octoberish. Do you have the exact date? I do not. And what what was the number of the executive order? As you know, executive orders have numbers associated with them. Can you can you cite the exact executive order? I'm sorry, sir. I do not have that number in my head. Can can you uh read the language of the executive order? I don't have to sir. Okay. What is the effect? What is the legal effect of executive order? Just so you understand that this Sorry, I I have a question. Okay. I'm I'm trying to answer your previous question. Am I allowed to do that? Yeah, but it it didn't say you said you didn't have the language of of the order in front of you, which which I asked you to read and and that's okay. Um what um what is the legal but the language for what I'm doing actually is in the amendment itself. So what is the legal effect? What what what do executive orders do? What is the legal effect of executive orders? It basically instructs from the executive level um the entities to do what the governor is asking them to do. And what entities did the executive order include? Hospitals receiving state funds. Okay. And I think you also said prisons, correct? That's a separate amendment, sir. So I'm not Which amendment are you referring to? So you have you you refer I have two amendments. You reference two. Yes. Right. On your motion to instruct. So I assume that your motion to instruct includes both amendments, one related to hospitals and one related to prisons. Is that correct? That's correct. And they are both before the house right now in your motion to instruct. Is that correct? Okay. So why do we need this motion to instruct if we have an executive order from the executive branch to require the provision of this data to the head of the executive branch, the governor? Explain that to me. not acting. Um, we're not acting on that. We're um, and by the way, I have spoken with the governor's office about that and they are supportive of this. No, no, no. That that's nonresponsive to my question. If we have an executive order from the governor that's that requests this information from the executive branch, why is the executive branch not providing that to the governor? I listen u, Mr. Representative Ania, I believe that we represent the people in our districts. This the legislature has not responsive. That's not responsive to my question. We're not in a courtroom, sir. The legislature has not acted upon this. And this is a an attempt by this body to act on this motion. That's why I I'm just curious about separation of powers here. We have an executive order from the governor directing the executive branch to give him information. Why is that not occurring today? And why do we as as the um as the legislature need to tell the executive branch what information to give the governor? Why would we object? No, I'm asking why. What is not happening in the process in the executive br? Is there a failure in the executive branch that this information is not being provided? Listen, I'm I represent 200,000 citizens in my district and I'm I think that this is something they would love to see passed and get into their budget and I think that that's incumbent upon us as a legislative body to be able to do and this is not in conflict. This is simply uh supplementary. And I'm just curious why the executive branch is not being responsive to the governor if you tell me. And why would we object to actually legislator? Pardon me. I'd like members. This is a question and answer. Please do not talk over each other so all members can hear your debate. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I I'm just kind of curious about the failure in the executive branch that prevents the the the the prison system and the hospital system from being responsive to the governor's request. Are you aware of a failure to respond? I'm not aware of any failure. Thank you, Mr. Romero. For what purpose? Does the gentleman yield for questions? Does the gentleman yield for questions? Yes, I do. The gentleman yields. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Representative Alcott. So, in this process, as you understand it, to continue with Representative Anio's point, do you believe that this is not being done today? I don't know because we haven't seen a report yet. I'm just making sure that it is going to be done. So, you haven't seen a report, but yet you stand here asking for it. So, you don't know if this is being done correctly or not. Do you know how the process works? I don't know the details. Sorry, but I I do know that this simply instructs hospitals that are providing uncompensated care at the expense of the taxpayer that they should simply be able to report to us how much it's costing us because a lot of these small hospitals are suffering because of overwhelming costs. And I'll give you an example. Back when I spent some time at the border near Falf Furious back in 2006, uh an emergency room, the only emergency room in the area actually had shut down. And the reason I was told was because they were overrun by illegal aliens and they they went out of business. And so little children in that area in Furious now had to drive two and a half hours to Corpus Christi to get emergency care. That's not right. And I think most people in this chamber should be concerned about the fact that in small rural areas this is provided this is an a huge burden to these small hospitals. Okay. So you heard that that you heard that from someone at the hospital but yet just a moment ago you said you didn't have any data. You didn't have a report that was a report that I observed. That is one of the reasons I became passionate about this. This happened back in 2006. Sir who is going to be asking these questions and if someone that's a patient at what point do they ask this question and are they required to reveal that they are here to document it or not? Does that mean that every person that goes into a county hospital is now going to ask be asked this question including US citizens like myself? Yes. So, so these hospitals have standard. The gentleman's time has expired. Mr. Speaker, gentlemen will motion to extend. Motion to extend. Is there any objection? Chair hears none. Extended. Mr. Mr. Alcott. At what point is a patient in a hospital asked about their status? When they as when patients go into hospital, they have a form to fill out. And this is simply going to be one additional question asked on that form. It doesn't deny care to anyone. Is it mandatory that they actually fill out 100% of that form in order for them to receive care? I do not believe there's anything in the requirements that says they're not going to receive. So, what makes you believe that this information would be correct? It's it's simply doing our best to to obtain data on how much So, if I go into the hospital and don't fill out that question, what happens to the data? It's incorrect. I'm pass I'm assuming that eventually and I've got a bill working its way through the legislature hopefully that will actually address that. You expect to pass a bill? Uh that's a very good question, sir. But um I'm doing what I can because the people that sent me here, immigration was the number one issue. The border security was the number one issue. And so I'm doing what I can. These bills have not gotten a hearing yet, but so I'm doing what I can for issues that are very, very important to most Texans. Something I feel passionate about. Representative Alcott, the point that I'm making to you is I as a US citizen, if I choose not to complete that form, 100% that data is skewed. So regardless of your point in receiving this data, do you understand that because I'm not forced to complete it, your data is not going to be correct? This this uh this legislation that this um mimics has passed in Florida about two or three years ago and it's working very effectively and then we have not so we do what Florida does in Texas. No, it's just simp one of the beauties of our our country is that we are a nation of of states and it's like a little uh experiment where we can look at and what works in other states and what does not work in in states and when something works really well in another state I think we should cons seriously consider adopting it here. We don't have to do what any other state does but we can use other states as models to pass good legislation and I think that's what this does. Representative Ala, you mentioned Falurias and the people there and the kids there. Did they give you a number of the unfunded care and did you file a rider to protect those kids? Just so you know, I'm You might have That's a yes. That's yes or no. Yeah. I didn't This was not from a conversation with the hospital. This was from local residents, I was told. So, you didn't Okay. So, you didn't even go into the hospital? No, there was the hospital. No. So, you believe everything that people tell you in your community, sir? Um, actually, one of my jobs as a representative is actually to collect information and No, I don't. Do you actually do that? Do you actually go around and ask when you when you're Are you asking questions, sir? Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. You're Thank you. Yeah. Jim, for what purpose? Will the gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yield for questions? The gentleman yields. Um, Mr. Olcott, uh, there's been some discussion about what the governor has asked for and not asked for. Um, is the legislature entitled to certain information for money that we appropriate regardless of whether or not the governor has asked for or received the same information? Absolutely. That separation of powers. Do we have an independent right on behalf of our um our constituents to ask for information about how their tax money is being spent? Absolutely. Not only do we have the right, it's our duty. And and Mr. Olcott. Um to follow up on what uh Mr. Romero was asking, uh is there anything in your uh amendment were it to pass uh and be a part of this budget that would deny funding to any hospital uh who um who was serving illegal aliens? Not whatsoever. Is there anything? Basically, all it does is collect information to help us make more educated decisions. Is there anything that um in your amendment or your motion that would mean that a person who is an illegal alien at one of our hospitals receiving state funding would not receive uh health care? No, actually it specifically uh instructs the hospital that they are not allowed to deny care. And they're even told they're when they're brought in and when they answer this, they're actually even told to tell the the potential patient that this will not affect your care and it will not affect their care. Will this help um if if we were able to receive this information um as a legislature? Will it help us in f future sessions uh as we allocate money um to make sure that the people in this state uh are provided for in our healthcare facilities? That's one of the major intents of this amendment. And uh Mr. Olcott, do you serve on the public health uh committee? I do. And Mr. Olcott, have you heard uh bills this session? And uh do you expect to hear bills about how many uh uninsured uh persons we have in the state of Texas? Uh have not seen one come across yet. Um yes, I have not seen one come across. Um, were you here during budget night when there was a discussion about expanding the Medicaid program to take care of uh more people? I was. And do you believe that as we consider things like that kind of expansion of Medicaid that it would be helpful for uh the people in this body and the people in the state of Texas to understand how many of those um uninsured Texans or uninsured people in Texas uh are here legally. I think it's very appropriate. That's one one of many examples of why we need that information. And it would also be just as important to know how many of those people uh that are not receiving uh health insurance are not here legally. Is is it not? It would be great information. And and once again, this is not uh there's no affirmative duty or action. This is a reporting requirement only. Is that correct? Only reporting. This should be non-controversial. All we're doing, all this does is instruct the conferees to get it in to the uh the final bill so that we can actually get this information and um like I said, there's nothing controversial about it. It's all all it does is collect information. And like I said before, it's been done in Florida and it's working very successfully. I agree, Mr. Olcott. I I appreciate you bringing forth this motion and I hope that we're able uh to get this information for next session. Thank you. Thank you, Representative Money. For what purpose? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the gentleman yield for some questions? The gentleman yield for questions. Yes, I do. The gentleman yields. Representative Olcott, uh, are you aware of any fiscal implication of your study? Do you know how much it would cost? Uh, it's no fiscal impact. So, have you I know you spoke earlier and you mentioned that you hadn't visited any hospitals personally to ask about this. Is that correct? I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time hearing. And you mentioned earlier that you had not vis personally visited with any hospitals to inquire about this study. Is that correct? I have not. I don't feel like it's necessary. Okay. So, you have not sat down and talked with any healthcare professional administrators asking specifically how much is this going to cost your hospital to implement this study? No, I have not. Basically, they just put one more line on a registration form. I can't see that being any significant cost. Okay. So, you don't know how much this is going to cost them? Yes. I'm expecting to be virtually no fiscal impact. But you do intend for it to be in a written sort of checkbox format or how do you intend for the hospitals to implement uh the study? Yes, I believe that's the the way it's been implemented by uh Governor Abbott's executive order. Okay. So on this written form, are you aware that this body intends to in the next coming months make it a felony for an individual to be here in this state unlawfully? Uh no, but I don't consider that relevant. That's great. I hope we do. You don't think it's relevant because you keep mentioning this is not a controversial bill. This is not a controversial bill. So, you're saying you do hope and you intend to pardon me. You do hope and you intend that this body make it a felony for an individual to be here unlawfully. Um I think we need to stick with this particular motion and and I'm getting there. So, that's correct, right? You intend for to vote on that to make it a felony to be here unlawfully. You know what would be really interesting is to actually see what the cost of illegal aliens are before that bill passes. I'm just asking you to be responsive to my question. So understanding that you intend to make it a felony for individuals to be here unlawfully. Are you going to ask it to do this motion respectfully, Mr. Olad? Are you going to have hospitals mirandize these individuals prior to checking that box knowing that their answer to your study will likely incriminate them to the effect of being liable for a felony? But you're implying that it's going to be shared with authorities. I'm sorry. So respectfully, my question is, are these individuals going to be mirandized to the fact that their answer to this question will likely incriminate them to the tune of a felony now, which you intend to enforce here in the state of Texas? I don't think I don't consider that relevant to this to this. You don't think they're due process their rights knowing that they have the right? I don't I don't see this amendment doing anything to infringe on due process rights of the people coming into the hospitals. So then you have no problem. This is a simple motion to instruct an a respectfully I I didn't interrupt you. So then do you have any problem with an amendment to your amendment allowing these individuals to be mirandized knowing that their answer to this question will likely incriminate them to the tune of a felony? I'm actually very happy the way the amendment's written right now. Thank you. The gentleman's time has expired. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Caller. For a purpose, Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry. State your inquiry. Uh, is there a copy of this motion? Are these motions to instruct that the members can look at that will be available for us to review? Miss Collier. Um, we can scan them and load them into the chamber documents so people can see them. We have not done that. That may take us a moment to do. If you'd like us to do that, let us know. Yes, I would like you for to do that, please. Thank you, Miss Collier. members, we're going to stand at ease until 11:45. So these motions to instruct can be uploaded to the chamber documents so everybody can see them including any amendments to the motions to instruct.