Texas House and Senate Form Select Committees to Address Violence and Improve Community Safety



 

“Following tragedies in El Paso, Midland, and Odessa, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Speaker Bonnen form select committees to focus on violence prevention and community safety”

 

AUSTIN, Texas — Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen today announce the formation of the Senate and House Select Committees on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety. In response to the recent tragedies in El Paso, Midland, and Odessa, Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Bonnen have each formed a select committee to study and recommend effective legislative solutions that will help prevent mass gun violence and improve community safety.

Each committee will be tasked with examining a comprehensive cross section of policy-related charges. Committee jurisdiction and issue areas will be announced this week, along with a full list of committee members in the Senate and House. The select committees will provide a final list of legislative recommendations to be translated into proposed statutory changes.

Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said, “Speaker Bonnen and I had previously agreed to study ways to combat domestic terrorism during the interim, but following the recent mass shootings in El Paso and Midland — as well as Santa Fe and Dallas — we have decided to appoint Select Committees this week to address these challenges. We will announce the members shortly.”

“The heinous tragedies like those that occurred in El Paso, Midland, and Odessa have become all too common in our state, and such a serious epidemic of violence should be met with meaningful solutions,” Speaker Bonnen added. “These committees have difficult, important work before them, and the solutions they come up with will provide a roadmap for the Legislature’s work over the interim and in the next session.”