Gov. Abbott Goes After Austin on Police Budgets, Homelessness
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AUSTIN, Texas - At a roundtable on public safety yesterday with law enforcement officials from across the state, Gov. Greg Abbott targeted Austin in his efforts to influence legislation at the State Capitol.
The Republican said the state must pass laws that give cities a clear choice - either fulfill their duty to keep their residents safe, or lose access to all their tax revenue.
"We cannot, and we will not, allow cities like Austin to defund the police." said Abbott.
Earlier this week, Abbott also targeted Austin when he warned if the city doesn't reinstate its ban on homeless camping, the state will do it for them - because, the governor said, it's endangering public safety.
After decriminalizing camping in 2019, Austin's mayor acknowledged this week that the city's approach isn't working the way it needs to.
In addition to the issue of defunding police, Abbott said he will also pursue reforming the state's "broken" bail system - which he said allows dangerous criminals to go free.
"Among the ideas include expanding the criteria the judges must consider when setting bail," said Abbott. "Another is increasing the qualifications of the judges who are eligible to set bail."
One bill already filed in the Texas House would prohibit municipalities from adopting a budget if "public safety service" funds are cut. A second bill would institute a referendum if public-safety funds are cut by more than 5%.
Support for this reporting was provided by The Carnegie Corporation of New York.
