Governor Greg Abbott today held a roundtable and press conference at the Texas Public Policy Foundation to demand legislators fix Texas' deadly and broken bail system to ensure dangerous criminals are kept behind bars.
“I’m here today to tackle a bipartisan, commonsense issue to fix the deadly and broken bail system that lets dangerous criminals back onto our streets,” said Governor Abbott. “These are not isolated incidents. Hundreds of Texans have been murdered by violent criminals who had been previously arrested and released on easy bail. Too many activist judges let dangerous criminals out on bail only to see them commit another murder or assault. To fix the broken bail system, Texas lawmakers must pass a constitutional amendment.”
The Governor was joined at the roundtable and press conference by Senator Joan Huffman, Representative John Smithee, Chambers County Sheriff and Sheriffs’ Association of Texas Vice-President Brian Hawthorne, Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) Executive Director Bob Leonard, Austin Police Association (APA) President Michael Bullock, San Antonio Police Officers Association (SAPOA) President Danny Diaz, survivor and bail reform advocate Sophia Strother Lewis, and other bail reform advocates, families of victims, and law enforcement leaders.
"Governor Abbott has laid out perfectly what the bill is going to do," said Senator Huffman. "This package of bills has real solutions in them that will make a difference. We heard from some family members today. Mr. Davis spoke of his daughter who was murdered, and Jim and Connie Branham spoke of their son, who was also murdered. The bill actually would have helped their situation. These Democrats who continue to not be willing to look at the facts and realize that this is happening in their districts have a moral obligation to take this vote and to pass this on to the Texas voters to make a decision."
Additionally, the Governor emphasized the need to reform Texas’ deadly and broken bail system. He urged the Texas Legislature to support legislation for a constitutional amendment to:
- Require judges to automatically deny bail for violent crimes, including murder, rape, and human trafficking, unless there is clear and convincing evidence that the defendant will appear in court and not endanger the community.
- Require judges who release violent criminals on easy bail to explain their decisions to the public in writing.
- Allow prosecutors to have the right to appeal a judge’s questionable bond decisions.
In his 2025 State of the State Address earlier this year, Governor Abbott declared bail reform as an emergency item this legislative session.
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