EDITORIAL BOARD
Gov. Rick Perry made a huge production of signing an abortion restriction
law in front of a teeming crowd at a Christian academy in Fort Worth this week.
He added to the evangelical fervor with a ceremonial signing of a proposal
before Texas voters this fall that if passed would amend the Texas Constitution to ban gay marriage.
It was all wonderful political theater, complete with preachers, protesters
and hateful anti-gay messages to solidify Perry's standing with Christian conservatives.
It was bare-knuckled politics leading up to what could be a bruising
GOP primary fight in March. But Perry also has before him some serious legislation that needs to be addressed. He took care
of one Tuesday by signing a measure overhauling and expanding Child Protective Services.
A number of criminal justice bills also await the governor's signature
— or his pocket approval, which allows bills to become law without his signature.
There are easy ones like the proposal to increase juror pay from the
ridiculous $6 a day established decades ago to $40 a day after the first day. This will help increase the juror pool and not
make jury duty such a hardship on working men and women.
Also on Perry's desk is a measure giving juries the right to sentence
convicted capital murderers to life in prison without the chance of parole.
The only options juries have now is the death penalty or life with the
possibility of parole. The measure before Perry eliminates the parole option but adds life without parole. It should become
Texas law.
Another legislative change in the criminal justice system would
change the rules of probation. The bill sent to Perry would shorten probation periods for some felons while expanding supervision
and treatment options.
As it is today, probationers get too little treatment and too
little oversight. This proposal would increase treatment and oversight — and save the state millions of dollars it spends
keeping offenders in prison or on probation for longer periods.
Another measure that should be signed by the governor would create an
oversight committee for the state's numerous crime laboratories.
The measure proposes a commission of experts to develop and implement
an accreditation process for the crime labs operated by cities, counties and the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Laboratory analysis is a critical aspect of criminal investigations and
prosecutions, and this commission is an excellent way to ensure the integrity of evidence.
Texas has a history of shoddy work by crime labs, and the commission
is a way to attack those problems.
