Wild Bill of the Week: Cattle rustlin'

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The Session ’09 political show takes place every Sunday morning to evaluate the progress of the state legislature. KXAN’s political reporter, Jenny Hoff, hosts the half hour special that offers a recap of the current happenings at the Capitol. The special devoted to Texas politics wraps up with a segment reviewing some of the most intriguing bills discussed throughout the week. Lawmakers continue to file significant bills, but one in particular stood out last week due to its abnormal nature. Senate Bill 1163 earned this weeks’ title for Wild Bill of the Week.

Senator Kel Seliger sponsored SB 1163 which looks to tackle the problem of cattle rustling. Cattle rustling is the term for the stealing of livestock. This has become a big enough problem that the Senate has voted to change it from a state jail felony to a more severe 3rd degree felony. Seliger stated that there have been 6,000 cases of cattle rustling this past year, which is up from 2,000 or so in previous years. The Senator added that ‘when times are tough, lawmakers decide to get tough on crime.’