The Texas Senate on Tuesday passed legislation designed to make it more difficult for cities and counties to defund their local law enforcement agencies.
State Senator Joan Huffman filed Senate Bill 23, called the Stop Local Police-Defunding Act. “This bill requires local governments to secure voter approval when passing a budget that one: reduces regular funding for a law enforcement agency, or two: reallocates funding or resources from one law enforcement agency to another,” Huffman said as she rolled out the legislation.
The bill would allow any resident who believes the local government has cut funding without voter approval to file a complaint with the Criminal Justice department of the Governor’s office. If the Comptroller’s office finds the complaint to be valid then the local government would be blocked from increasing property taxes in the subsequent tax year. “I think this is important legislation that sends a message to the citizens that we are going to back the blue,” said Huffman.
The legislation had broad bipartisan support in the Senate, passing 28-to-2. Senate Democrats did challenge Huffman regarding the relevance of the legislation.
State Senator Nathan Johnson questioned whether it was the right of the State Legislature to dictate how local governments set their budgets. “Do you think the Legislature has a duty to make sure that law enforcement budgets at the local level are set at appropriate levels?” Huffman responded, “I think that it’s important for the State to ensure the safety of the citizens of Texas.”
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued the following statement after the passage of the bill:
"I congratulate Sen. Huffman on the passage of Senate Bill 23 which affirms our support for law enforcement in Texas and the critical role they play in keeping Texas communities safe. Senate Bill 23 makes it clear that Texans do not support defunding the police. It will require local governments to secure voter approval before passing a budget that reduces or reallocates funding originally dedicated to law enforcement. The Texas Senate and I remain committed to supporting our law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line when they leave their homes every single day and I appreciate Sen. Huffman's continued leadership on this important issue."