| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral |
No fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to authorize a sheriff to execute a blanket surety bond to cover more than one reserve deputy sheriff. The bill would also authorize a county to self-insure against losses instead of a reserve deputy sheriff executing an individual bond or a blanket surety bond.
The fiscal note above adequately and accurately describes this legislation.
The author's statement of intent offers helpful background information:
"Currently, a reserve deputy sheriff, before beginning to perform the duties of office, must file a bond of $2,000 payable to the sheriff. While constables have the ability to execute a blanket surety bond to cover their reserve officers, sheriffs are not permitted to do so. These parties have long held that this inequity in the law unnecessarily limits a sheriff's ability to cover reserve deputies."
While this legislation may be beneficial for sheriffs across the state, there is no tangible connection between this bill and our liberty principles. As such we are neutral on HB 2272
The second chamber sponsor of this legislation is Senator Schwertner.