What:  "Sanctuary Cities: A Discussion About Senate Bill 4" — The University of North

            Texas' Constitution Day program, featuring Texas Reps. Ramon Romero Jr. and

            Lynn Stucky.

When:  11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Sept. 14 (Thursday).

Where:  Lyceum of UNT's University Union, 1155 Union Circle, Denton. Overflow

             seating with livestreaming in Room 250H in UNT's Willis Library, 1506 W.

             Highland Street.  

Cost:     Free.

More information: Contact govinfo@unt.edu.

DENTON (UNT), Texas - The University of North Texas will observe Constitution Day at 11 a.m. Sept. 14 (Thursday) with two Texas legislators discussing the constitutionality of Senate Bill 4, popularly known as the "sanctuary cities" bill. The bill was scheduled to become state law effective Sept. 1 but has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge.

"Sanctuary Cities: A Discussion About Senate Bill 4" begins at 11 a.m. in the Lyceum in UNT's University Union, which is located at 1155 Union Circle in Denton. The two speakers will be Ramon Romero Jr., who represents District 90 in part of Tarrant County for the Texas House of Representatives, and Lynn Stucky, who represents Denton and other Denton County cities in District 64. Romero argued against the passage of Senate Bill 4 while Stucky supported it.

The free event will be livestreamed in Room 250H of UNT's Willis Library, which is located at 1506 W. Highland Street in Denton. Those who attend will be able to ask the speakers questions via Twitter using both the hashtags #UNT and #Constitution Day.

Senate Bill 4 requires local and state police, as well as law officials at public universities and community colleges, to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. It gives those law enforcement officials permission to inquire about the immigration status of people they lawfully detain. Law enforcement officials who refuse to honor federal immigration authorities' requests to hold detained individuals who are subject to deportation can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor and receive fines. They also may face jail time for subsequent infractions.

Officials in several of Texas' largest cities, including Dallas, have declared their cities to be sanctuary cities and said they will limit their cooperation with federal efforts to enforce immigration law.

Constitution Day was created in 2004 with the passage of an amendment by U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd to an appropriations bill, which mandates that all publicly funded educational institutions provide educational programs on the history of the American constitution on or near Sept. 17.

UNT's Constitution Day program this year is being sponsored by the UNT Libraries and UNT's Center for Leadership and Service, Honors College and Department of Political Science.