Flanked by elected officials and other supporters, Governor Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law Senate Bill 6, a bail reform law also known as the “Damon Allen Act.” Allen was a DPS Trooper who was shot to death on Thanksgiving in 2017 during a traffic stop. The man who killed Allen, Dabrett Black, had a history of violence toward law enforcement officers and was out on a public recognizance bond at the time.
“This is one of those laws that was an emergency item that I set during the regular legislative session,” Abbott said. “And because the democrats broke quorum at the end of the regular session, this bail reform did not get across the finish line, and it did not get across the finish line during the first called special session. However, this is one of those bills that I said I was going to call special session after special session after special session until we get it passed.”
Damon Allen’s widow, Casey, also spoke during the bill signing, expressing gratitude toward state lawmakers.
“Damon was killed by a violent repeat offender who was stopped for speeding that day, and he just didn’t want his plans interrupted by being arrested,” she said. “The murderer still went to jail, and my life and my kids’ lives were forever changed by actions that can’t be taken back.”
The new law not only eliminates PR bonds for violent offenders, but also requires that judges consider a person’s entire criminal history prior to setting any bail.
The Damon Allen Act is one of the numerous public safety-related bills that wound up on Abbott’s desk for a signature this year. Others include House Bill 1900, which levies stiff financial punishments on cities of 250,000 people or more that reduce public safety budgets, and House Bill 9, which made it a criminal offense to knowingly block emergency vehicles with its lights on during a protest.
“The Texas Legislature has worked to reinforce law and order in Texas,” Abbott said. “We’ve seen this dynamic across the country over the past year or so about the de-fund the police movement. You’ve seen it in Los Angeles, in San Francisco, in Portland, in Seattle, in Chicago, in Minneapolis, and New York. And unfortunately, we’ve also seen it here in Texas with Austin, Texas de-funding the police. Let me tell you something about Texas: In Texas, we respect our law enforcement officers. We will not demean or de-fund them!”
Abbott also said Monday that nine separate bills have been signed into law directly related to cracking down on human trafficking across the state.
