Things remain quiet on the capitol front since our mid-month update on SB 22 funds, but we have a couple of additional items to put on your radar as we head into February.
SB 22 reminder
You have less than a week to submit an application for SB 22 funds. If you are an eligible applicant—i.e., a criminal prosecutor’s office in a jurisdiction with a population of not greater than 300,000—and you have not received information on how to apply online, email the Comptroller’s Office ASAP at [email protected]. For other general information about the SB 22 program, visit that agency’s SB 22 webpage.
Bonus Lege Update course
In conjunction with next month’s Investigator Conference in San Marcos, we have added a live Legislative Update course on Thursday, February 8, 2024, that is open to all. If you or any of your employees missed the live or online courses that we offered in 2023, this is your chance to get caught up with all the new legislative changes! Click HERE for more information or to register online.
Indigent defense survey
The Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M is conducting a legislatively funded study of rural public defense needs on behalf of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission. The study includes a survey of the current state of criminal defense in those (and neighboring) areas and prosecutor input is allowed, so if you would like to participate in that survey, click HERE.
Free CLE webinar for prosecutors
The Texas Council on Family Violence (TCFV) is offering one hour of free CLE (online via Zoom) for prosecutors on Wednesday, January 31, 2024, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. For more information about, or to register for, TCFV’s program entitled “A Different Lens: Domestic Violence Considerations in Stalking Prosecutions,” visit this webpage.
Scattershooting
Some recent stories you might find interesting:
- “Inmate was planning to kill prosecutor with steel shank, Harris County DA’s Office says” (KHOU 11 News)
- “Citizen journalist can’t sue over arrest, divided US appeals court rules” (Reuters)
- “The Surprising Downside of a Criminal Justice Trend Reformers Might Think They Love” (Slate)
- “Abbott’s school voucher setback highlights broader dealmaking stumbles” (Houston Chronicle)
- “From RaTmasTer to kingmaker: How Jonathan Stickland trolled his way to Texas GOP power” (Texas Tribune)
- “How Walmart’s Financial Services Became a Fraud Magnet” (ProPublica)
Quotes of the (rest of the) Month
“People ask why I’ve never had an opponent. It’s because they don’t want to deal with commissioners.”
—Johnson County CA Bill Moore, joking during a recent ceremony honoring him for his 35 years of service to the county. Bill is running unopposed for his ninth consecutive term in 2024.
“You can give me 100 years and I’d do it all over again.”
—Marc Bru, pro se January 6 defendant, demonstrating “the definition of ‘no remorse’” (according to his judge) after being sentenced to six years in federal prison for seven charges connected to the riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“They’re gonna try to put me in jail for doing this, but I don’t care.”
—Attorney General Ken Paxton, spinning some yarns for his audience while endorsing primary challengers to three incumbent Court of Criminal Appeals judges who ruled that the AG cannot unilaterally prosecute election-related (or any) crimes in the two Stephens opinions.
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