Mass Violence Committee Chair Darby: Public Safety and Sensible Solutions

AUSTIN, TX — The House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety met to hear testimony from the Texas Department of Public Safety on the agency's implementation of Governor Greg Abbott's executive orders aimed at bolstering public safety systems in Texas. The new Select Committee will work alongside its Senate counterpart and Governor Abbott's Domestic Terrorism Task Force to develop legislative proposals for combating mass violence and improving community safety in Texas.

"I want to thank members of the House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety for their genuine commitment to exploring public safety policy that makes sense for Texas," said Chairman Drew Darby. "Texans are hurting and deserve our earnest work in delivering sensible solutions that protect and respect the fundamental rights of all citizens."

In addition to hearings in Austin, Chairman Darby announced plans for the Select Committee to conduct field hearings over the next several months in five other cities: Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso, Houston, and Odessa. The Select Committee will post notice of these public meetings, with details on the times and locations of hearings forthcoming. Each field hearing will focus on the duties outlined by Speaker Dennis Bonnen:

• Evaluate options for strengthening enforcement measures to prevent the transfer of firearms to persons prohibited by law from possessing firearms;   
• Assess challenges in reporting relevant criminal history information and other threat indicators to state and federal databases;
• Examine the role of digital media and technology in threat detection, assessment, reporting, and prevention;
• Consider state workforce needs related to cyber security, mental health, law enforcement; and
• Evaluate current protocols and extreme risk indicators used to identify potential threats, and consider options for improving the dissemination of information.

The House Select Committee will submit a preliminary assessment to the Speaker in December 2019, produce periodic progress updates, and submit a final report due in October 2020.