AUSTIN (WBAP/KLIF) – Governor Greg Abbott held the first meeting of the Texas Safety Commission on Thursday at the Texas State Capitol.
The Governor formed the panel in the wake of the mass shooting earlier this month at an El Paso Wal Mart. According to Police, the alleged shooter in the massacre was targeting Mexicans.
“We will be focusing on ideas and suggestions that can lead to laws,” said Governor Abbott. “But remember this, the way Texas Government works, action can be taken without laws being passed.”
The commission is made up of lawmakers, educators, advocates, community leaders, and experts to generate strategies to provide community healing, combat the rise of extremist groups and hateful ideologies, keep guns out of the hands of deranged individuals, and combat domestic terrorism in Texas. The ideas discussed in the commission meetings are meant to aid in the development of an immediate action plan for the State of Texas.
“It is imperative that Texas develop solutions that not only make our state a better place, but most importantly a safer place,” said Governor Abbott. “Our starting point began today, with the process of exploring all avenues and reviewing all facts to determine how we can prevent another tragedy like the shooting in El Paso from occurring again. I am grateful for the insight and expertise of those who participated in the Texas Safety Commission meeting today, and I look forward to our continued work as we pursue ideas that will keep Texas safe.”
The commission will meet again next week in El Paso.
Attendees for the commission meeting include:
- Governor Greg Abbott
- Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick
- Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen
- Senator Jose Rodriguez
- Representative Mary Gonzales
- Representative Cesar Blanco
- Representative Joe Moody
- Representative Art Fierro
- Representative Lina Ortega
- Senator Joan Huffman, Chairwoman of the Senate State Affairs Committee
- Representative Phil King, former police officer, member of the Texas State Guard
- Colonel Steven McCraw, Department of Public Safety (DPS)
- Major David Cabrera, DPS Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division, Texas Fusion Centers
- Major Manuel Espinosa, DPS Criminal Investigation Division, Texas Anti-Gang Centers
- Matthew DeSarno, Special Agent in Charge, Dallas Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Dr. Courtney Phillips, Executive Director, Texas Health and Human Services Commission
- Mike Cox, Texas State Rifle Association
- Ed Scruggs, Texas Gun Sense
- Dr. Juan Martinez, Superintendent, Clint Independent School District
- Jeff Murray, Protective Security Advisor, United States Department of Homeland Security
- Dr. Lina Alathari, Chief, United States Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center
- Dr. Susan Fletcher, Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists
- Robert Chesney, Director and James Baker Chair, University of Texas at Austin
- Neil Potts, Content Policy Team, Facebook
- Tory Mayo, Lead Pastor, The Well Austin
- Tom Tarantino, Head of US State Public Policy, Twitter
- Lonzo Anderson, Assistant Chief, Dallas Police Department
- Karie Gibson, Supervisory Special Agent, Behavioral Analysis Unit, Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Rob Barnes, Head of State Legislative Affairs, Google
- Alexandria Walden, Global Policy Lead for Global Human Rights and Free Expression, Google
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