Texas House panel to weigh adding New Mexico counties
A Texas House committee will hold a hearing later this month on the legal and practical implications of potentially expanding Texas by adding one or more neighboring counties from New Mexico. The hearing comes as some state lawmakers have raised questions about whether such a boundary change could be pursued.
The Texas House Select Committee on Governmental Oversight, chaired by Rep. Cody Vasut, scheduled the hearing for Sept. 30 at the Texas Capitol to hear invited and public testimony on the issue.
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.
The notice states that 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.
