Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday unveiled his public safety priorities for the 2027 legislative session, renewing his focus on restricting bail and opposing progressive district attorneys.
Flanked by several Republican state lawmakers, the governor rolled out his agenda at a campaign event at the Austin Police Association’s headquarters. Topping his wish list was denying bail to all unauthorized migrants accused of certain felonies. He also will champion creating a statewide prosecutor and the ability to impeach what he characterized as rogue district attorneys.
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It could prove difficult for lawmakers to pass Abbott’s agenda, as some would entail a constitutional amendment, which requires supermajority support in the Legislature.
“When these strategies get passed, we will achieve our goal to make sure as a state, we are protecting our communities,” Abbott said.
Much of the event’s focus was on Travis County District Attorney José Garza, who has faced intense criticism from the police union and conservative state leaders as soft on crime. He was also scrutinized for failing to indict some felony suspects within the 90-day deadline, leading some to be released and others to remain in jail longer than they should have.
Garza defended his record after Abbott’s event, telling The Texas Tribune that there is a “disconnect” between the reality of prosecution work and the political rhetoric. He also said his office has worked to eliminate the backlog of unindicted cases.
“What happened today was a political stunt and a distraction from the governor’s litany of failures over the last several years,” he said.
But for Abbott, who started floating the idea of a statewide prosecutor on social media last year, the role could help fix the problem of “rogue” district attorneys.
He said a statewide prosecutor — appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate — would monitor cases to prevent failures by local prosecutors. For instance, referencing Garza’s failures to bring timely charges, the governor noted that a statewide prosecutor would have had the option to step in on the 90th day and bring indictments instead.
In an interview with KVUE, Abbott said the Legislature has the “full constitutional authority” to create a new district attorney and define their jurisdiction as encompassing the entire state. He pointed to the establishment of the 15th Court of Appeals in 2023 as further evidence of this power.
“There’s really no doubt at all about the constitutionality of it,” he said.
Abbott also is pushing for a new law that would allow district attorneys to be impeached.
According to the Texas District & County Attorneys Association, locally elected prosecutors currently could be removed from office by a district court judge following a jury trial. They could also face accountability through state bar discipline, a criminal investigation, a court of inquiry or at the ballot box.
Following a 2023 law passed in an effort to rein in left-leaning prosecutors, the courts could also remove district attorneys for misconduct if they decline to pursue certain types of crimes. At least two petitions have been brought by residents against Garza under this law, though they failed.
“It’s a cumbersome tool that basically is ineffectual,” Abbott said about the petitions. “We just want to make sure that we add more tools to the toolkit to make sure that there is accountability for DAs across the entire state of Texas.”
The governor will again push for legislation that would deny bail to any unauthorized immigrant accused of certain felonies, such as murder, kidnapping, sexual assault and indecency with a child.
The bail and impeachment provisions would require a constitutional amendment. The bail proposal related to immigrants last year failed to clear the 100-vote mark in the Texas House, where there were 62 Democrats, although the Legislature passed an extensive package of other bail restrictions.
Abbott said lawmakers who opposed the bail proposal will have to answer to voters for failing to support a measure that would protect communities. He is also taking his bully pulpit on the road, with his campaign announcing that he will promote his public safety agenda Friday in San Antonio.
Besides the legislative wish list, the governor also touted the success of a task force targeting violent repeat offenders, which has led to 728 arrests, including 455 individuals considered to be a high threat. The Texas Department of Public Safety launched the task force in Houston in October and recently expanded its operation to the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio metro areas.