House Passes Bill Purporting to Address Public Disorder

On March 26, the House passed HB 1 (Fernandez-Barquin) (76-39). The FCCB opposes the bill as it is unnecessary and potentially harmful. According to the sponsor, the bill is intended to address public disorder in response to recent riots. However, any violence committed during a riot, or at any time, is already prosecutable, and it is unnecessary to raise penalties for those crimes. Additionally, some broad terms in the bill could potentially criminalize some of our ministries' public activities such as praying in front of an abortion facility, sidewalk counseling, and prayer vigils against the death penalty. FCCB's concerns with the measure are further outlined in a letter to the bill sponsor. 

FCCB supports alternatives that address public safety making their way through the committee process, including SB 1970 (Pizzo) that provides for law enforcement reform and SB 1818 (Burgess) that authorizes the inclusion of police deescalation techniques into the course curriculum required for law enforcement officers.