Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – As part of a package of bills supporting the men and women of law enforcement, Sen. Dawn Buckingham has filed SB 913. The bill sends a strong message to cities like Austin, which recently cut its police department budget by $150,000,000, that putting citizens and law enforcement further in harm’s way will not be tolerated.
SB 913 states cities that decrease their police budgets by more than 5%, in the absence of decreased tax revenue collection, would be ineligible to receive criminal justice grants administered by the State of Texas.
Sen. Buckingham released the following statement:
“If cities choose to defund their police, they should no longer expect the taxpayers to bridge the gap with public safety grant money. By slashing police budgets, out of control agenda-driven city councils are not only putting communities at risk, but putting our men and women in law enforcement in more danger than ever before. All Texans deserve to feel safe in their communities, and law enforcement deserves to know we have their backs. I filed SB 913 to fight back against defunding efforts and to let radical, agenda-driven city councils know that Texans back the blue.”
