The Chronicle‘s Steve McVicker reports that a bill that would have created regional DNA labs to process evidence will not be passed during the legislative session.
The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Kevin Bailey (D), lays the blame on Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt:
“The single-most important thing that can be done in order to improve the quality of forensic evidence used at criminal trials is the one thing the Legislature appears not to be doing,” said David Dow, a University of Houston Law School professor and a frequent critic of the Texas criminal justice system.
State Rep. Kevin Bailey, D-Houston, sponsor of the bill, blamed its demise on last-minute demands by Houston Police Chief Harold Hurtt.
Bailey stopped just short of accusing Hurtt of intentionally sabotaging the legislation.
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s certainly a possibility,” Bailey said.
[snip]
[A]ccording to Bailey, during a committee meeting March 30, he was given a copy of the chief’s prepared remarks just minutes before testimony was to begin.
Bailey said he learned that Hurtt’s support for the legislation was contingent on several conditions, including a reduced fee for HPD evidence processed by the lab and a guaranteed turnaround time on evidence analysis.
Chief Hurtt, on the other hand, denies that he helped to kill the bill:
“The last thing I heard from (Bailey) was that we would be able to work around any problems (in the bill),” Hurtt said. “I supported the bill, I still support it, and I’m disappointed that it’s dead.”
Without more detail, it’s hard to know whether Hurtt intentionally sabotaged this legislation, if Hurtt unintentionally sabotaged the legislation simply through the White/Hurtt team’s ineptitude in dealing with the state legislature, or if Bailey had some other reason to scuttle the legislation.
What is clear is that one potential state solution to Houston’s crime lab problems will now have to wait until the next legislative session.
