'That's insanity and it has to stop': Gov. Abbott pushes for bond reform
Gov. Abbott holds bond reform roundtable
Governor Greg Abbott spoke with bond reform advocates in Austin on Wednesday.
AUSTIN - With a school choice bill signed into law, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has turned his efforts to another of his priorities: bail reform legislation.
Bail reform advocates spoke with the governor at a roundtable discussion in Austin.
Negotiations on bail reform package
Gov. Abbott renewed his push to move bail reform through the state legislature.
With less than a month left in the regular session, time is running out on his priority reform item.
Governor Abbott made bail reform a top priority at the beginning of the regular session.
Negotiations on a major bail reform package appear to be at a breaking point at the state Capitol.
State Senator Joan Huffman (R), Houston, one of the lead negotiators on the proposal, voiced frustration Wednesday with Democrats who want changes to the legislation.
"We've worked very hard with these Democrats that the governor has talked about, to work on trying to negotiate. But I will say this, we are done negotiating," said Sen. Huffman.
Abbott continues push for bail reform
On May 7, Gov. Abbott renewed his push to move bail reform through the state legislature. With less than a month left in the regular session, time is running out on his priority reform item
The red flag raised by Sen. Huffman came during a meeting with Governor Greg Abbott in Austin. The gathering included victims, law enforcement officers, and lawmakers who are pushing the bail reform bills.
"These Democrats who continue not to be willing to look at the facts and the realization that this is happening in their districts, their constituents are being raped, murdered, threatened, terrorized. They should have a moral obligation to take this vote," said Huffman.
State Rep. John Smithee (R), Amarillo, is one of the lawmakers negotiating with Democrats on the plan. He sounded a little more optimistic that a deal could be made.
"We're trying to work out a deal, but it's not going to be a bad deal, it'll be a good deal. If we don't make a deal then we're going to go to battle, and we're ready to do that as well," said Rep. Smithee.
Proposed changes to bail system
During the roundtable, Abbott gave the three tenets of his amendment proposal that he believes will fix the bail issue.
- Judges must automatically deny bail for violent crimes like murder, rape or human trafficking, "unless there is clear and convincing evidence that the defendant will appear in court and not endanger the community."
- Judges who release violent criminals on "easy bail" must explain the decision to the public in writing.
- Prosecutors must be given the right to challenge judges' bail decisions.
What they're saying:
Abbott says "activist" judges are to blame for the deaths of Texans at the hands of repeat offenders out on bond.
"Activist judges are protecting dangerous criminals instead of the innocent Texans that those criminals harm," Abbott said.
He said that these are not isolated incidents, claiming that hundreds of murders have been committed by violent criminals released on "easy bail."
Chuck DeVore with the Texas Public Policy Foundation said that the proposal will assist judges with protecting society as well.
"The Texas Constitution still ties judges' hands, requiring judges to set bail for heinous crimes, no matter the dangerous threat posed by the defendant," said DeVore. "This has to change."
Victims speak out
Local perspective:
Among those at the Wednesday meeting was a rape victim, who was identified as Sophia. She described how a judge granted her alleged offender bond because he was becoming a new father.
"And he let him out on $75,000 bond, which basically means that he assessed to me as a survivor of someone that was able to prove her case of being raped. I was only worth $750. After that, he never showed back to the sentencing trial," said Sophia.
Sophia said she is ready to go to battle.
"It's really time out for chit-chat at this point, because for us, this is our lives. This is not something to play with politics. This is something that we have to deal with every day," said Sophia.
Governor Abbott also brought up the Travis County murder case of Xavier Jones, Sr.
"Three of the six felons charged with his murder were out on 16 active bonds, one as low as just $1,000. Despite their lengthy rap sheets and known gang affiliations, Travis County judges kept giving these repeat felons extra chances. With that extra chance, they shot and killed Xavier Jones, Sr. In front of his girlfriend and her child," said Gov. Abbott.
The murder happened in the House District of State Rep James Talarico. Abbott called on the Democrat from Round Rock to vote for the Bail Reform plan.
"To prevent similar murders, Representative Talarico needs to step up and join with Representative Smithy and the Texas House of Representatives to support a constitutional amendment that fixes the broken bail system that we have," said Abbott.
Bond Reform
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Gov. Abbott on border security and bond reform
Governor Greg Abbott addresses a crowds at Texas Border Sheriffs' Coalition Conference on April 29, 2025. Abbott spoke about the changes at the border and his push for bond reform.
Dig deeper:
Bond reform has been a priority for Governor Abbott.
Abbott visited Houston last week for a press conference on the subject, addressing the issue of more than 200 cases of dangerous offenders free from jail on bond killing innocent Texans.
Currently, only capital murder suspects are exempt from bonds.
There are several bail reform bills that have been filed in the Texas Legislature.
Because bail is written into the Texas Constitution, it requires a constitutional amendment to alter. That requires a two-thirds vote in both the Texas House and Senate.
Bail reform was one of seven emergency items laid out by the governor earlier this year.
What's next:
The bail reform package must be carried out of the committee by the end of the week, according to Smithee, and to the House floor, possibly by next week.
The reforms require a call for a public vote because it would be a constitutional amendment. The reform bill is expected to get votes from the 88 House Republicans but needs at least 12 Democrats to reach the required two-thirds vote for a constitutional amendment.
"There is progress, but not sufficient progress, being made through discussions. I will tell you this, and that is the amended version that has the elements I laid out today, as well as a few more elements. I don't know how many Democrats have actually seen that yet. So, they have not yet been put to the test. They will be put to the test here in a week or two," said Gov. Abbott.
Critics of the original bill have raised concerns about due process and that a hard-line approach to bail could result in overcrowded jails.
The Source: Information on Gov. Greg Abbott's roundtable comes from the Governor's Office. Past coverage of Gov. Abbott's comments on bail reform comes from FOX 7 Austin and FOX 26 Houston.