Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive | Neutral |
A government that is limited will always be on guard against public corruption. This legislation advances limited government in at least two ways.
1. By involving a Texas Ranger, and requiring that the Ranger concur with the initial investigation before it could move forward, and by having the case ultimately investigated and advanced by a prosecutor with jurisdiction over the defendant's place of residence, this legislation provides multiple backstops against the possibility of a purely partisan political prosecution.
2. By requiring public corruption cases to be handled by courts with jurisdiction over the defendant's home, this legislation promotes due process and provides for a better chance for defendants to be tried by a jury of their peers.
We support this legislation for its commitment to limited government by removing the oversight of this department from the exclusive jurisdiction of one county. The bill supports personal responsibility by allowing counties to see their complaints through the process and to prosecute those cases locally. The investigative responsibilities given to the Texas Rangers are in the interest of justice and amount to a sound decision by the bill's authors.
We also supported a very similar bill in the Senate earlier this session, SB 10.