Arizona's trailblazing immigration law if two lawmakers can get enough support to pass bills they say they intend to introduce next year

AUSTIN, Texas, April 28 Texas could follow Arizona’s trailblazing immigration law if two lawmakers can get enough support to pass bills they say they intend to introduce next year.Texas state Rep. Leo Berman says he is planning a package of bills next January that include one measure that would make it a crime to be an undocumented worker and another allowing law enforcement officials to ask people they believe may be in the country illegally about their status, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Wednesday.

“I think almost every state in the union will follow suit,” Berman said.Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, has said she also plans to introduce a similar bill.”The first priority for any elected official is to make sure that the safety and security of Texans is well-established,” Riddle told Hearst Newspapers. “If our federal government did their job, then Arizona wouldn’t have to take this action, and neither would Texas.”

Tyler’s KLTV-TV reported Berman also wants to require U.S. presidential and vice presidential candidates to prove their citizenship to the Texas secretary of state before their names can be put on the ballot, a nod to the so-called birther movement.The station said opponents of the proposed legislation say it will get a different reception in Texas than in Arizona.(UPI)

Steven Tyler is in rehab because of painkiller addiction

Steven Tyler

LOS ANGELES  Steven Tyler has entered a rehabilitation facility to treat an addiction to painkillers the Aerosmith frontman has taken to cope with 10 years of performance injuries.Tyler said he’s eager to return to work with his band mates.”I love Aerosmith; I love performing as the lead singer in Aerosmith. I am grateful for all of the support and love I am receiving and am committed to getting things taken care of,” the 61-year-old rocker said in a statement released Tuesday.

The band canceled a summer tour in August after Tyler fell off the stage during a performance in South Dakota and broke his left shoulder.Dr. Brian McKeon, who is treating Tyler, said in a statement that orthopedic injuries over the past decade have left the singer with severe chronic pain that will require surgeries on his knees and feet.

Tyler checked into rehab last year to recover from several foot surgeries and physical therapy. Tyler said the procedures were to correct longtime foot injuries resulting from his physical performances with Aerosmith.The singer for the blues-rock band was known for heavy drug and alcohol abuse in the 1970s and early 1980s, but completed rehabilitation in 1986, after which Aerosmith enjoyed a successful revival.