HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- The state of Texas is telling Harris County it cannot adopt its budget for the next fiscal year because of how it is funding law enforcement. It is a result of Senate Bill 23, which went into effect in January, and punishes any government organization that reduces or defunds law enforcement by hamstringing its budget.
Harris County's budget is now in flux, after constables Mark Herman and Todd Heap filed a complaint with the state about the county's move to disallow the carryover of unused funds. State Comptroller Glen Hegar issued a letter Monday effectively preventing the county from adopting its budget without making changes.
"We believe it's totally political and unwarranted," Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia told ABC13. "There is no basis for it. It really could upend county operations, county government, our ability to provide services to constituents all across Harris County. It could really be devastating. Is this defunding of law enforcement? Absolutely not."
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement on Tuesday which read, in part, "The dangerous actions taken by Judge Lina Hidalgo and Harris County represent a brazen disregard for the safety and security of the Texans they are sworn to protect. The loss of millions of dollars in funding will endanger public safety across the county at a time when Texas law enforcement is working harder than ever to keep criminals and dangerous drugs out of our communities"
Judge Lina Hidalgo...
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