Many people think of the time between legislative sessions as downtime, and it’s true that the pace is slower at the Capitol. Of course, that’s because the biggest work of the interim is back home in El Paso, but there’s still a lot going on in Austin.
The Criminal Jurisprudence, Criminal Procedure Reform and Defense, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees I serve on have been holding hearings and preparing for some of the legislative efforts that will define 2015. All of those hearings are public, so keep an eye out for meetings in your area; you have the opportunity to lend your expertise to us! You can keep track of everything by heading to http://www.house.state.tx.us.
In terms of criminal policy, we’ve been investigating whether to raise the age for the adult criminal system from 17 to 18 years old. No decision or legal change has been made yet—we’re just considering the possibilities right now—and what we’re looking into is whether any changes could lead to fairer and less costly outcomes that reduce crime and help get young people on track. On a related note, we’ve also had hearings on innovative electronic citation systems that could save El Paso money down the road in processing low-level criminal cases.
The Defense and Veterans’ Affairs Committee has also been busy. Most recently, we’ve been exploring veterans’ courts and providing more mental health services to returning soldiers, particularly those who may be struggling with PTSD. I think we’ve laid the groundwork for some positive legislative change this coming session.
Finally, I’m proud to announce that I’ve been hand selected by the Speaker of the House as one of only seven legislators who will serve on the Joint Interim Committee to Study Human Trafficking. Human trafficking isn’t just about coyotes, although we’ll certainly be looking into situations where people are abused or abandoned while crossing the border; it also includes prostitution and other sex trafficking, and even cases that amount to outright slavery. We all know that there are some tragic realities we face as a border community, and this committee will be confronting some of them head on.
Of course, our interim work is far from over. The best way to see what we’re up to is to watch committee hearings and track our efforts through Texas Legislature Online at http://www.house.state.tx.us/video-audio. And, as always, if there’s ever anything I can help you with, don’t hesitate to reach out to me:
State Representative Joe Moody—District 78
Capitol Office: Rm. E1.216 (in person) P.O. Box 2910
(by mail) | Austin, TX 78768 | (512) 463-0728
District Office: 5675 Woodrow Bean, Suite 12 | El
Paso, Texas 79924 | (915) 751-2700
