Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday said he would push for legislation next year that would freeze property tax revenues for cities that cut funding from police departments, reports KXAN.
"Part of our job as state leaders is to ensure the safety and security of all Texans, and we will not allow this core function to be undermined by cities that seek to defund and dismantle law enforcement agencies that have a sworn duty to protect our communities," Abbott said during a press conference in Fort Worth Tuesday.
"Defunding the police puts Texans in danger and invites lawlessness into our cities, and cities that endanger their residents should not be able to turn around and raise more taxes from those same Texans."
The meeting follows actions by the Austin City Council to strip nearly one-third of the city’s law enforcement budget, or $150 million.
“The last thing we should do is defund law enforcement,” Abbott said. “And yet that is exactly what the City of Austin did.”
At least 13 cities are defunding their police departments, including New York, Los Angeles and Seattle, weeks after protests over systemic racism and police brutality broke out following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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