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Texas Senate committee pauses bill that would change 'deadly conduct' presumption for peace officers
Summary
Lawmakers and witnesses debated whether to treat an officer's pointing or display of a firearm as a presumptive reckless act under the deadly conduct statute; families of shooting victims and civil-rights advocates urged rejection while prosecutors and police groups sought narrower fixes. The committee left the bill pending for redrafting.
The Senate Committee on Criminal Justice paused consideration of a committee substitute to Senate Bill 16 37 after hours of testimony split between public-safety concerns and calls to preserve criminal accountability.
Supporters of changing the statute argued the current presumption can subject officers who act in the scope of duty to criminal charges and long, career-destroying prosecutions; opponents — including family members of people killed by on-duty officers and civil-rights advocates — warned the change would grant broad immunity and make it harder to hold officers accountable.
The bill would alter how the Texas Penal Code treats the act of pointing a firearm or otherwise creating a risk of death or serious bodily injury. Witnesses and lawmakers debated whether the proposed…
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