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This week I will talk about a couple of issues that have been in the news lately. This week, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court to argue on behalf of the State of Texas. The issue before the court was whether to uphold the placement of a Ten Commandments monument on the Texas Capitol grounds as a constitutional acknowledgement of religion. In his argument, Attorney General Abbott said the monument does not establish or endorse religion, but simply acknowledges the influence the Ten Commandments have had on the state's legal institutions.
The Texas Legislature accepted the six-foot granite monument in 1961 from the Fraternal Order of Eagles to commend their work with youth. The monument was placed halfway between the Capitol and the state Supreme Court building to signify the secular impact the Ten Commandments have had on the state's legal institutions. It is one of 17 monuments on the grounds of the State Capitol. The other monuments also celebrate various people, events, and ideals important to the culture, diversity and history of Texas.
The Ten Commandments monument sat unchallenged on the Capitol grounds for more than 40 years, until a citizen sued the state in 2002, claiming the monument was an unconstitutional establishment of religion. The federal district court rejected the citizen's argument, ruling the state's reasons for placing the monument were secular, and therefore constitutional. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit also upheld the monument in 2003, and the citizen then appealed that decision to the Supreme Court.
Currently, federal appeals courts are deeply divided on whether the display of the Ten Commandments violates the First Amendment. The Supreme Court could use the Texas case to clear up confusion on the issue.
Another issue that has been in the news is the major security breach at data broker ChoicePoint. ChoicePoint is used by crediting agencies and stores data on millions of customers. The ChoicePoint files that were compromised contained sensitive information such as social security numbers linked to names and addresses. It is estimated that the fraud ring that breached ChoicePoint's security has gained access to the personal and financial information of an estimated 11, 081 Texans.
In response to this issue, State Representative Eddie Rodriguez has introduced House Bill 1527. This bill would require companies such as ChoicePoint to alert their customers if a breach of security has put them at risk of identity theft. Therefore, customers could take immediate preventative action if their information has been illegally accessed, and thereby mitigating the damage done by identity thieves.
I am interested in your comments on legislation that will be debated in the Texas House of Representatives. You can contact me by writing to P.O. Box 2910, Austin, TX 78768-2910 or by emailing me at larry.phillips@house.state.tx.us.
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