Bill > HB209

This bill modifies Texas law to address situations where a district or county attorney may be unwilling to prosecute election law violations. The bill allows residents of a county to file a petition seeking to disqualify their local prosecutor if they believe the attorney has a consistent policy of refusing to prosecute election law offenses. If such a petition is successful, the judge will disqualify the local prosecutor and require the appointment of an assistant attorney general from the state's Attorney General's office to handle the case. The bill provides a mechanism for residents to request that potential election law violations be investigated and prosecuted by the state Attorney General's office when local prosecutors appear unwilling to do so. Specifically, a resident who has lived in the county for at least six months can file a petition in district or county court seeking to have the case referred to the Attorney General if they can demonstrate that the local prosecutor has a pattern of declining to prosecute election law violations. The bill applies only to offenses committed on or after its effective date, which will be 91 days after the end of the legislative session, and is designed to ensure that election law violations are properly investigated and prosecuted across Texas.

https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=892&Bill=HB209