The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred the case to the CEU after receiving a CyberTipline report accusing Berridge of uploading child pornography to an online account…
Staff Report
Texas Attorney General, Ken Paxton is the lawyer for the State of Texas and is charged by the Texas Constitution to:
To fulfill these responsibilities, the Office of the Attorney General serves as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issues legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes.
The Texas AG sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions, and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.
Many Texans look to the Office of the Attorney General for guidance with disputes and legal issues. The agency receives hundreds of letters, phone calls and visits each week about crime victims’ compensation, child support, abuse in nursing homes, possible consumer fraud and other topics. To find out more about the Texas Attorney General, visit the official website at https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/.
WEEKLY NEWS ROUND-UP OF THE STATE’S
TOP LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER…
THE TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL
AG Paxton Joins Lawsuit Challenging Dallas’ Unlawful Paid Sick Leave Ordinance
AUSTIN – Attorney General Ken Paxton today joined ESI/Employee Solutions, LP and Hagan Law Group, two Dallas-area employers, in a lawsuit challenging a City of Dallas paid employee sick leave ordinance similar to an Austin ordinance struck down by a Texas court last year and a San Antonio ordinance stayed by a trial court last month.
“The Dallas City Council’s decision to enact this ordinance in the face of other legal challenges successfully stopping similar laws is yet another example of the lawlessness and disregard for working Texans that is becoming all too common among local governments in our larger cities. Not only would this ordinance harm the ability of Texans to find and keep jobs, it is a blatant attempt to silence the millions of other voters throughout our State who disagree with the agenda of urban elites, even after the courts have made it clear they cannot do so.” Attorney General Paxton said.
Approved in April of 2019, the ordinance broadly applies to a variety of employers with employees that perform work in Dallas—regardless of whether those employers are located in another city—but allows unionized employers to be exempted from these requirements. The ordinance also grants the City of Dallas broad jurisdiction to investigate private and confidential business documents of employers and workers outside the city’s jurisdiction.
In the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Attorney General Paxton explained that the minimum amount of compensation established for workers – including the minimum amount of sick leave and other paid time off – is a decision entrusted by the Texas Constitution solely to the Texas Legislature. The complaint further explains that the ordinance unlawfully attempts to usurp the authority of voters in other cities and denies Texans who choose not to join a labor union equal protection of the law.
To view the complaint, click here.
Texas Child Exploitation Unit Arrests Tyler County Man for Possession of Child Pornography
AUSTIN– Attorney General Ken Paxton announced last week that the Child Exploitation Unit (CEU) of his office arrested 61-year-old Sean Nicholas Berridge, of Colmesneil, Texas, on two counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) referred the case to the CEU after receiving a CyberTipline report accusing Berridge of uploading child pornography to an online account.
While executing a search warrant at Berridge’s residence, investigators found images of child pornography on his cell phone.
They also seized numerous digital storage devices that will be examined by the attorney general’s Digital Forensics Unit.
During an interview with investigators, Berridge admitted he downloaded, viewed and saved files of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton’s office works to protect children by using the latest technology to track down some of the most profoundly evil predators online.
Since its inception, the Child Exploitation Unit has made 332 arrests and obtained nearly 600 convictions for possession of child pornography.
Attorney General Paxton urges all parents and teachers to become aware of the risks children face on the internet and take steps to help ensure their safety.
If you suspect someone is producing or downloading child pornography, please report it to NCMEC. For more information on cyber safety, please visit: https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/initiatives/cyber-safety/.
AG Paxton: Texas to Join Multistate Lawsuit Challenging the Sprint/T-Mobile Merger
AUSTIN – Last week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that Texas intends to join a coalition of 13 other states, and the District of Columbia, in challenging the proposed merger of Sprint and T-Mobile, the 3rd and 4th largest providers of mobile wireless telecommunications services in the United States.
The merger, if consummated, would result in a substantial harm to competition in the market for mobile wireless telecommunications services, both nationwide, and specifically within the State of Texas.
“While we appreciate the time and effort that went into the agreement between the parties and the U.S. Dept. of Justice, the Texas Attorney General has an independent obligation to protect Texas consumers. After careful evaluation of the proposed merger and the settlement, we do not anticipate that the proposed new entrant will replace the competitive role of Sprint anytime soon.
It is the Attorney General’s responsibility to preserve free market competition, which has proven to result in lower prices and better quality for consumers. The bargain struck by the U.S. Dept. of Justice is not in the best interest of working Texans, who need affordable mobile wireless telecommunication services that are fit to match the speed and technological innovation demands of Texas’ growing economy.”
The New York and California co-led lawsuit was originally filed on June 11 and includes the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia.
Today, at a hearing in the U.S. District court for the Southern District of New York, counsel for New York advised the court that they will be seeking leave for Texas and possibly other states to join the lawsuit next week.
Request for Opinion
Original Request RQ-0298-KP:
Procedure to repeal a special road tax
Received:
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Requestor:
The Honorable Rob Baiamonte
Goliad County Attorney
Post Office Box 24
Goliad, Texas 77963
Request for Opinion
Original Request RQ-0299-KP:
Voting entitlement of a taxing unit in the election of an appraisal district’s board of directors under Tax Code section 6.03
Received:
Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019
Requestor:
The Honorable Matthew A. Mills
Hood County Attorney
1200 West Pearl Street
Granbury, Texas 76048
Notification of Opinion
Original Request RQ-0271-KP:
Use of pretrial intervention program funds collected under Code of Criminal Procedure article 102.0121 to supplement the salary of an attorney or staff member who assists in the administration of the program.
Opinion Summary KP-0263:
Under article 102.0121 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the commissioners court, not the prosecuting attorney, ultimately determines the authorized uses of the county pretrial intervention program fund.
The statute authorizes the commissioners court to use the pretrial intervention fund for an employee’s salary, salary supplement, or a benefit only to the extent the use of the fund is solely for the administration of the program.
Subject to these constitutional limitations, subsection 381.004(h) leaves the duration and amount of economic development loans and grants to the commissioners court’s budgetary discretion in the first instance.
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