DALLAS – Today, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick held a news conference at the Dallas Police Association headquarters to unveil efforts to support the families of Texas’ fallen first responders.

“We will create a tax exemption modeled after legislation we previously passed for our combat veterans, killed in the line-of-duty,” said Patrick. “This legislation will exempt surviving spouses in these situations from having to pay property taxes on their homes, even if the home is paid for, to ensure they will never be taxed out of their homestead.

“I will also conduct a meeting later this year with law enforcement from around the state to discuss their needs to keep them safe,” Patrick added. “This will include finding appropriate funding in conjunction with local communities, even during a tough budget year, to provide lighter-weight protective vests capable of stopping high-caliber bullets. Some of the officers killed that night had bullet-proof vests but they did not stop the high caliber rounds. I want all Texas law enforcement officers on patrol to have the latest technology possible to protect their lives,” said Patrick.

Lt. Gov. Patrick also wants to commemorate July 7, each year on the state calendar, to make sure this date is memorialized forever. According to Patrick, “we want these families to know we will never forget this date” in honor of all first-responders killed in the line-of-duty.

Lt. Gov. Patrick has made the safety of police officers across the state, a top priority. Last Fall he put police safety as a top priority interim charge under the Senate Criminal Justice Committee.