On Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced new rules that would prevent Texas cities from defunding their police departments.
“Governor Greg Abbott today announced the adoption of new Texas Administrative Code rules by the Office of the Governor’s Public Safety Office (PSO) to prevent municipalities from defunding their police forces,” Abbott’s office said in a statement. “These new pro-law-enforcement requirements, established by House Bill 1900 during the 87th Legislature, were signed into law by the Governor in June 2021. The Governor made preventing cities from defunding police an emergency item during the regular session of the 87th Legislature.”
“Under House Bill 1900, if the Governor’s PSO determines a city has defunded its police department, the city will be subject to tax rate limitations, lose access to certain tax revenues, and be subject to other budgetary requirements and limitations. When the city demonstrates it has reversed the reductions, PSO may reverse its defunding determination and the city will no longer be subject to those limitations, reductions, and requirements—unless it defunds its police again,” the statement added.
“Texas remains a law-and-order state and we continue to make it abundantly clear that we support our law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line every day to keep communities safe,” Governor Abbott said. “My office’s adoption of these new rules will prevent cities from making reckless and downright dangerous decisions to defund the police, ensuring a safer future for Texans all across the Lone Star State.”
The news comes amid a nationwide surge in violent crime that began after many U.S. cities defunded their police departments in response to the Democrats’ “defund the police” movement. After the city of Austin, Texas, defunded their police, murder increased by 300% in one year.
“Austin doesn’t feel as safe recently. Because it isn’t,” the advocacy group Save Austin Now states on their website. “We’ve seen a series of city policy decisions over the last 2 years that have led to a surge in both violent crime and property crime against Austinites. A 300% increase in murders this year. A double-digit increase in property crimes such as burglaries and carjackings. And a massive increase in reports of “soft crimes” that make us uncomfortable, especially us women. This isn’t the Austin we know and love, and it doesn’t have to be.”
