Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Neutral |
Summary: In the past, Texas has implemented steps to make state prosecutors more professional. Provisions such as tying a state prosecutor's salary to the district judge's salary and prohibiting serving prosecutors from private law practice were contained in the Professional Prosecutor Act (Government Code Chapter 46). HB 717 adds Lavaca County Attorney to Chapter 46 of the Government Code. Additionally, this bill grants the powers conferred by general law to the county attorney and allows the county attorney to accept grants for the operation of the office. These grants are required to be reported to the commissioner's court. Finally, this bill removes Lavaca County from the 25th Judicial District to allow the Lavaca County Attorney to prosecute felonies.
Analysis: By adding a county attorney to Chapter 46 of the Government Code, the potential conflict of interest that arises from a county attorney practicing private law is eliminated. Additionally, this allows the county attorney to fully concentrate on the responsibilities of a county attorney. For these reasons, TPPA recommends voting yes on HB 717.