April 24, 2019      4:43 PM

Texas House members debate the civil liberties issue of a state DNA database

Rep. Canales says House members should get their DNA taken first if they’re going to pass this; Rep. Smith says “What we need to do is we need to move Texas into the realm where we start solving these crimes.”

Libertarians joined defense attorneys on the Texas House floor on Tuesday afternoon to oppose the creation of a state DNA database for felony arrests.

This was freshman Rep. Reggie Smith’s bill. He had strong support from area police departments for House Bill 1399. Lawmakers who supported the bill, like Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, considered it a chance to provide closure for the families who had gone decades without resolution of their unsolved murder cases.

“I have a lot of respect for you bring this bill up,” Israel said. “I know there’s a lot of people watching us today who have lost loved ones, and who are counting on us to do the right thing.”

By Kimberly Reeves

Copyright April 24, 2019, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved