In the Republican primary for House District 92, amnesty supporters are lining up to oppose State Rep. Jonathan Stickland (R-Bedford).

The Business and Commerce Political Action Committee (BACPAC) has endorsed Scott Fisher, a liberal Republican who is challenging Stickland in the March Primary. BACPAC is headed by Bill Hammond, who during the most recent legislative session told a rally of amnesty supporters that illegal immigrants deserve state tuition subsidies even more than Texas children.

Stickland has been a leading conservative voice in the legislature for securing the border and turning off the magnets that exacerbate illegal immigration.

Last session, Stickland filed HB 209, a bill that would have eliminated tuition subsidies for illegal aliens. The bill was referred to the House State Affairs Committee where, like most other conservative reforms, it was killed by State Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana) – a liberal Republican who has pushed to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Cook also killed a 2011 effort to ban sanctuary cities in Texas.

Stickland has also coauthored legislation requiring state agencies to use E-Verify, a move that would prevent the state government from hiring illegal aliens for contract projects.

BACPAC is sponsored by the Texas Association of Business (TAB), an association designed to protect taxpayer subsidies for politically-connected businesses. In 2015, TAB opposed efforts to protect religious liberty from local government persecution, successfully lobbying State Rep. Jason Villalba (R-Dallas) to flip-flop and abandon his own bill.

In 2014 the organization’s head, Bill Hammond, flirted with endorsing Democrat Leticia Van de Putte over Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, but said he “just didn’t think it was time” for the group to openly back a Democrat.

Tony McDonald

Tony McDonald serves as General Counsel to Texas Scorecard. A licensed and practicing attorney, Tony specializes in the areas of civil litigation, legislative lawyering, and non-profit regulatory compliance. Tony resides in Austin with his wife and daughter and attends St. Paul Lutheran Church.

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