Governor Abbott Vetoes House Bill 1015 (84R)
Pursuant to Article IV, Section 14, of the Texas Constitution, I, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, do hereby disapprove of and veto House Bill No. 1 0 1 5 as passed by the Eighty-Fourth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, because of the following objections:
House Bill 1015 requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to notify the sentencing court of the date on which a defendant convicted of a state jail felony will have served 75 days in a correctional facility. This mandated notification adds needless administrative bureaucracy to seemingly encourage a judge to exercise discretionary authority to grant "probation" to certain convicted felons, thereby shortening the offender's time in prison. Issuing potential early release reminders should not be the mandated responsibility of the Department of Criminal Justice. This duty has been already properly placed where it belongs: on the judges and attorneys taking part in the original criminal proceeding. Furthermore, House Bill 1015 has the potential to inappropriately increase the number of convicted felons granted early probation. Crime victims and the public deserve better.
Since the Eighty-Fourth Texas Legislature, Regular Session, by its adjournment has prevented the return of this bill, I am filing these objections in the office of the Secretary of State and giving notice thereof by this public proclamation according to the aforementioned constitutional provision.
GREG ABBOTT
Governor
View a PDF of the veto here