Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick calls on House to pass bail reform package

AUSTIN - Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday morning called on the Texas House to pass a package of bills aimed at reforming the state's bail system for violent offenders.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to speak Wednesday

What we know:

Several bills went before the Senate Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday morning.

The bills were authored by Sen. Joan Huffman (R-Houston) and cover issues such as who can set bond amounts, if public funds can be used by a political entity to pay a bond and some that would establish constitutional amendments that would deny bond for someone who commits a crime that entered the state illegally and another that would allow for the denial of bond for certain violent felonies.

The committee heard from several victims of violent crimes; Huffman; Patrick; and Andy Khan, with Crime Stoppers of Houston.

Senate Bill 9

Senate Bill 9 was marked as a priority bill by Patrick for this legislative session.

The bill would require a judge, instead of a criminal hearing officer, to set bond for:

• A defendant that is on parole at the time he or she is charged with a new offense
• A defendant who has been previously convicted of two or more felonies
• A defendant charged with violent felony offenses
• A defendant charged with a felony who is detained on an immigration hold

Senate Bill 40

Senate Bill 40 would prohibit the use of taxpayer funds from going to a nonprofit that pays for bond.

Senate Bill 1047

Senate Bill 1047 would expand the Public Safety Report System to flag defendants with protective orders, those on probation and those with outstanding warrants.

The system currently produces a report that summarizes a defendant's criminal history and alerts magistrates if someone is not eligible for bond.

The bill would expand who has access to the reports to prosecutors and clerks.

It would also set new rules for setting bond for individuals with blue warrants and repeat offenders in the same county.

Senate Joint Resolution 5

SJR 5 would amend the state's constitution to expand the reasons that bond can be denied.

The current rules limit when a bond can be denied, which means that those accused of most crimes, including murder, can be released on bond.

The amendment would give magistrates the ability to deny bond for those accused of:

• Sexual offenses considered first-degree felonies
• Violent offenses as defined by the constitution
• Continuous trafficking of persons

A judge would have to determine through evidence that the denial is needed to ensure the person's appearance in court or the safety of the community, law enforcement or the victim.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

SJR 1 would amend the Texas Constitution to require a denial of bond to a person in the country illegally that commits a felony.

The act would be called Jocelyn's Law, named after 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, who was murdered in 2024.

Police arrested two men believed to members of Venezuelan street gang, Tren de Aragua, who were in the country illegally.

What we don't know:

The bills still need to pass through the Senate before they can go to the House.

During a news conference Wednesday, Patrick indicated that the bills could pass the Senate this week.

What they're saying:

"There's nothing more important then the safety of our citizens," Patrick said. "There's nothing more important then pushing back when courts release dangerous felons on the streets to kill again."

Huffman said it was time for the Senate to play "hardball" on the bills, noting that different versions have passed the Senate in past legislative sessions only to die in the House.

Patrick said if the bills didn't pass the House then special sessions could be called until they pass.

"This is serious stuff. This is life and death," Patrick said. "Whatever it takes, we will not leave here until these bills pass the House."

Patrick said he'd spoken with House Speaker Dustin Burrows about the bills and said Burrows was open to getting them passed.

"There should not be one ‘no vote’ in the House or the Senate on this legislation," Patrick said.

At the end of January, Patrick released a list of 25 priority bills for this session.

The lieutenant governor says he plans to expand the list to 40 bills soon.

Dig deeper:

• Senate Bill 1 – Senate’s Budget for Texas
• Senate Bill 2 – Providing School Choice
• Senate Bill 3 – Banning THC in Texas
• Senate Bill 4 – Increasing the Homestead Exemption to $140,000 ($150,000 for seniors)
• Senate Bill 5 – Combatting Alzheimer’s – Establishing DPRIT (Dementia Prevention & Research Institute of Texas)
• Senate Bill 6 – Increasing Texas’ Electric Grid Reliability
• Senate Bill 7 – Increasing Investments in Texas’ Water Supply
• Senate Bill 8 – Requiring Local Law Enforcement to Assist the Federal Government’s Deportation Efforts
• Senate Bill 9 – Reforming Bail – Keeping Violent Criminals Off Our Streets
• Senate Bill 10 – Placing the Ten Commandments in School
• Senate Bill 11 – Protecting the Freedom to Pray in School
• Senate Bill 12 – Establishing a Parental Bill of Rights in Public Education
• Senate Bill 13 – Guarding Against Inappropriate Books in Public Schools
• Senate Bill 14 – Texas DOGE – Improving Government Efficiency
• Senate Bill 15 – Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing
• Senate Bill 16 – Stopping Non-Citizens from Voting
• Senate Bill 17 – Stopping Foreign Adversaries’ Land Grabs
• Senate Bill 18 – Stopping Drag Time Story Hour
• Senate Bill 19 – Stopping Taxpayer Dollars for Lobbyists
• Senate Bill 20 – Stopping AI Child Pornography
• Senate Bill 21 – Establishing the Texas Bitcoin Reserve
• Senate Bill 22 – Establishing Texas as America’s Film Capital
• Senate Bill 23 – Removing the Cap on the Rainy Day Fund to Secure Texas’ Long-term Financial Future
• Senate Bill 24 – Educating Texas Students on the Horrors of Communism
• Senate Bill 25 – Making Texas Healthy Again

School Choice Bill

In his role as Lieutenant Governor, Patrick presides over the Texas Senate. The legislative body has been busy in the early weeks of the special session.

While we don't know for sure what Lt. Gov. Patrick will talk about, it is almost a guarantee that school vouchers will be one of the topics.

In recent days, Patrick's social media has been filled with posts about school choice.

The backstory:

Senate Bill 2 passed the Texas Senate last week, marking the sixth time that school choice legislation has passed the Senate. The previous five times, the bill was defeated in the Texas House.

Patrick, Governor Greg Abbott and now President Donald Trump have spoken out in support of the legislation which would allocate $1 billion of state funds to create savings accounts that incentivize pulling students from public school to attend private schools.

The bill would create education savings accounts from taxpayer money for families who are interested in private education over public with up to $10,000 per year per student.

Students with disabilities could get up to $11,500.

The bill would have a lottery system where 80 percent of the funds would be allocated to students who have special needs or are in low-income households.

The bill classifies low-income as a family making 500% or less of the federal poverty line.

The remaining 20 percent would be open to any student based on lottery selection.

The funds could be used to pay for private school tuition, public school costs, tutors and books. 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's Legislative Priorities

School choice is one of several bills backed by Patrick.

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