Colony Ridge is on the agenda for Gov. Greg Abbott's third special session, but as of this week, just one bill has been introduced to directly address the controversial settlement.
It comes from State Rep. Tom Oliverson of northwest Harris County.
"It would ban the use of ITINs (Individuation Tax Identification Number) for home loans, which is a big way that they draw in people who aren't fully documented within the United States, where all they have is an ITIN or they're somewhere in their immigration process," Selene Rodriguez with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
"It is legal to just use the ITIN. But another thing you have to weary about within this population in that area is simply showing a driver's license doesn't necessarily mean it could be legitimate."
But we may see bills related to investigations by the state attorney general and commission on environmental quality.
"Cities and counties already have a lot of different kinds of codes in their statutes, but they could look into making it a little bit more tighter, and the enforcement mechanisms behind them, to make sure developers and builders within Colony Ridge specifically, adhere to those codes," says Rodriguez.
Rep. Steve Toth did introduce a bill to maintain a DPS office in Liberty County, near Colony Ridge.
Colony Ridge developer Trey Harris insists the settlement is legit, disputing any claims of rampant crime and cartel activity.
Photo: Gann, Brian (uploader)