AUSTIN—Today, May 15, the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence passed SB 1849—the Senate companion to HB 2702, also known as the Sandra Bland Act—out of the Committee. SB 1849 will now head to the House Committee on Calendars. Chair Coleman released the following statement:

"Thank you Chair Moody and the members of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence for passing SB 1849—the Senate companion to HB 2702, also known as the Sandra Bland Act. We want to maintain the same unanimous support that Chair Whitmire garnered in the Senate, where the bill passed 31-0. I will work hard to move it to the House floor quickly. The Sandra Bland Act will have a tremendous impact on mental health in Texas' county jails. Criminal justice and mental health reform do not happen overnight, but we are laying a path for change. That is something to be proud of.”