Earlier this afternoon, I joined many of my House colleagues at the Fort Worth Police Officers Association (FWPOA) headquarters as Governor Greg Abbott signed House Bill 9 into law. I was a strong supporter of this border security funding measure, which provides an additional $1.8 billion to beef up law enforcement and fund other measures related to enhanced border security. Over $1 billion alone is dedicated for barrier construction along our southern border.
As we see right now in the news, under the Biden administration federal enforcement at the border has frankly become almost non-existent. Though we have previously dedicated billions in state funding to gain control of our border, Texas has no choice but to take additional action.
House Bill 9 includes:
$32.5 million to the Office of Court Administration for court costs
$301.0 million to the Texas Military Department for additional personnel
$154.8 million to the Department of Public Safety for Operation Lone Star surge costs, replacement tactical marine units, and additional intelligence personnel
$273.7 million to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice for increased corrections costs
$214,785 to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for employee overtime and travel costs
$1.02 billion for barrier construction, local grants, and establishing processing centers
$3.75 million for Border Prosecution Unit funding
$16.4 million to the Texas Department of State Health Services for contracted ambulance services
I will be monitoring the progress of these efforts, and will continue to be a strong voice for taking back our border. Thank you for allowing me to serve you in Austin.
