Texas House panel to weigh adding New Mexico counties
A Texas House committee will hold a public hearing later this month on the possibility of expanding Texas by adding one or more New Mexico counties. The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 30 at the Texas Capitol.
The Texas House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight, chaired by Rep. Cody Vasut, will hear invited and public testimony on the boundary proposal, according to the committee notice.
Lawmakers will study the constitutional, statutory, fiscal and economic implications of adding contiguous New Mexico counties to Texas. The review will include an analysis of relevant provisions of the U.S., Texas and New Mexico constitutions, along with federal and state laws and applicable court precedents.
The committee also plans to identify the procedural steps that would be required at both the state and federal levels to transfer territory currently located in New Mexico into Texas.
The boundary issue is one of three topics on the hearing agenda. Lawmakers also plan to examine prosecutorial integrity and safeguarding taxpayer funds.
Electronic public comments will be accepted for all three agenda items, including the Texas-New Mexico boundary proposal, through the Texas House public comment system until the hearing adjourns, according to the notice.
