CLEAT as Invited Testimony for Public Safety Hearings at the Capitol

On May 28, 2026, CLEAT attended and spoke as invited testimony at the House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety and Veteran Affairs. We were asked by the Chairman to testify on two charges:

• Charge 5 – Authority of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement: 
Evaluate the statutory framework governing the creation and recognition of law enforcement agencies in Texas and the role of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement in that process. Review whether current law provides clear authority and standards for establishing new agencies employing licensed peace officers and identify any statutory gaps or inconsistencies. Provide recommendations, if needed, to clarify authority and ensure consistent standards for the establishment of law enforcement agencies.

• Charge 6 – Strengthening the Law Enforcement Workforce: 
Study workforce challenges affecting state and local law enforcement agencies, including recruitment, retention, moral injury, and training-pipeline barriers. Examine the operational impacts of staffing shortages and evaluate strategies to strengthen the law enforcement workforce, including financial support for recruits during academy training, childcare and family-support solutions for officers, and other incentives to improve recruitment, retention, and public safety readiness.

It’s important to keep in mind that, as invited testimony, we are required to stay on the topic of the charge as requested by the Chairman.

Testimony was provided by CLEAT Deputy Executive Director, Jennifer Szimanski.

Charge 5

Our testimony on Charge 5 was centered around our involvement with the TCOLE Sunset Bill (SB 1445) during the 88^th legislative session. That session occurred in 2023, and much of the current TCOLE leadership and the State Representatives on this committee were not in place at the time. The CLEAT Public Affairs team had a representative in every meeting related to this bill, and we are clear on the legislative intent. Our goals were to ensure that newly created agencies were required to show sustainable funding, had the ability to provide physical resources to officers, and had proper policies in place to protect officers in the field. The bill also required an advisory committee that included labor representatives for several rulemaking and model policy-formation processes.

This portion of the TCOLE Sunset Bill was a massive improvement over the previous requirements. After participation on the advisory committee and consulting with TCOLE after its passage and implementation, we are certain it has raised professional standards for the officers we represent. We do, however, support clarification of the “public benefit” language and want to ensure the focus remains on newly created agencies.

Charge 6

On Charge 6 we focused on the recruitment and retention issues across the state. We discussed how nothing could have prepared us for the mass exodus from law enforcement we experienced as a result of the “defund the police” era and the nuances surrounding that period. It’s clear that no matter how you try to repair or right the wrongs from that, the damage was done and is not easily reversed. Not only did we see a mass exodus, but we experienced an immeasurable deficit in recruitment numbers.

When local municipalities or local District Attorneys choose to defund, remove, or fail to implement necessary tools for law enforcement, attempt to prosecute police officers instead of criminals, cancel cadet classes, and call our men and women in blue racist, it is a slap in the face to the profession and many who may have considered this line of work are likely reconsidering or have taken another path. CLEAT has always supported initiatives to better the lives of law enforcement officers and worked to increase pay and benefits, and we will continue to support any measures to that end.

Reserve Peace Officers

There were discussions regarding reserve peace officers, but CLEAT was not on the panel. However, that does not mean we are not fully engaged on the issue, as always. Last session, we worked diligently against a bill that simply went too far in addressing some of the issues that have been raised. This session will be no different, as we work with legislators on common-sense solutions that ensure professional standards. We understand the concerns surrounding reserves, but we also know reserves are necessary to ensure public safety, and we will work to solve legitimate problems without gutting the system.

The 90^th Legislative Session begins in January 2027, and we won’t expect to see bill language until that time. Once a bill has been filed, we can take an official position based on the language. Until that time, we will be working toward representing the interests of all members. Feel free to reach out to our Public Affairs staff with any questions or concerns.