in Houston, Texas

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Lawmakers have proposed stiffer regulations for private prisons following the Youth Commission's closure of the GEO Group's Coke County facility.

House and Senate Democrats crafted every single measure. Here is a listing of the main bills that were proposed--the first two of which never made it out of committee.

• HB 1714: The most severe of the anti-private prison bills, this bill, authored by Rep. Harold Dutton, would prohibit counties from contracting with private prisons.


• HB 3247: Rep. Armando "Mando" Martinez's bill would not allow counties to contract with private prison corporations if the corporation's employees do not have collective bargaining rights.


• HB 3903: This bill, sponsored by Rep. Solomon Ortiz Jr. requires more accountability for private prisons including a mandatory public hearing in each commissioner's precinct before a county enters into a contract with a private prison firm.


• SB 1680: Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa's bill requires that voters approve any county contracts with private prison operators.


• SB 1690: This bill, also sponsored by Hinojosa, allows for stronger state oversight of county-owned (and usually privately-operated) jails with federal and out-of-state prisoners.

Sen. Zaffirini: Husband 'doesn't influence me'

In a lengthy interview with Texas Watchdog,  Zaffirini said she would vote on the prison measures if they make it to her desk, though she doesn't know which way.

Typically, she said, her aides carefully research new bills and recommend how she should vote, and "99 percent of the time," she follows their recommendation.

In regard to her husband's work for the GEO Group, Zaffirini said her staff doesn't really know about his ties to the company.

“I have a system for deciding how to vote, and my staff is totally unaware of my husband's clients," says the state senator. "They are in Austin, and he is in in Laredo.”

Throughout the interview, Zaffirini was amiable and composed. She never sounded a defensive note. Still, the Laredo Democrat's defense of her unusual situation assumes that spouses can draw an indelible line between their professional and personal lives.

“My husband and I never, ever discuss his clients because they have standards of confidentiality," she says. “He doesn’t influence me on legislation that impacts them; nor does he even talk about it.”

Carlos Zaffirini echoed his wife's remark while adding that as an attorney he works for many clients who come under the jurisdiction of the state.

"She doesn't know half of what I do or 10 percent of what I do," he said. "I represent a lot of clients. I represent GEO and oil-and-gas producers. I represent land owners and developers and people in international trade."

Rene Oliveira's firm is representing the GEO Group in an effort to overturn the record judgment in the de la Rosa case. Meanwhile, the Brownsville lawmaker may be asked to vote on bills that would severely restrict how his client does business. Rodriguez, the de la Rosa attorney who has become an impassioned critic of the private prison company, questions how Oliveira will approach any bills that come up for a vote.

"How can he be objective when his law firm is on the GEO Group's payroll?"

Contact Matt Pulle at matt@texaswatchdog.org or 713-980-9777. Deputy Editor Jennifer Peebles contributed to this report.

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