Governor Abbott Announces Texas Safety Commission

Statement

Last week, Governor Greg Abbott announced the Domestic Terrorism Task Force to combat hateful acts of extremism in Texas following the recent shooting in El Paso. Today, Governor Abbott announced the Texas Safety Commission, which will develop an immediate action plan for the State of Texas. This plan will include 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, including cybersecurity threats. The commission will also produce legislative solutions the State of Texas can adopt to prevent mass shootings and domestic terror attacks.

"The State of Texas will not relent in its effort to help the El Paso community heal and keep all Texans safe," said Governor Abbott. "The Texas Safety Commission will bring together experts and community leaders to develop an action plan to combat threats of domestic terrorism, root out extremist ideologies, and address the link between mental health challenges and gun violence in our communities. By working together, we will we ensure a safe and secure future for all Texans."

The first Texas Safety Commission meeting will be held on August 22nd in Austin at the Texas Capitol at 10:30 a.m., with the second occurring in El Paso on August 29th. Portions of these commission meetings will be open to the press and additional logistical details will be forthcoming.

The following individuals will attend the first commission meeting on August 22nd in Austin:

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

Additional information on logistics and a list of attendees for the August 29th meeting will be released in the coming days.

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