House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence

Leadership

ChairJohn Smithee (R)House District 86 · AmarilloVice ChairGene Wu (D)House District 137 · Houston

Composition

Members

89th Legislature (2025), listed by role, then alphabetically

Rhetta Andrews Bowers (D)House District 113 · RowlettDavid Cook (R)House District 96 · MansfieldJolanda Jones (D)House District 147 · HoustonMitch Little (R)House District 65 · LewisvilleAJ Louderback (R)House District 30 · VictoriaBrent Money (R)House District 2 · GreenvilleJoe Moody (D)House District 78 · El PasoAna-María Rodríguez Ramos (D)House District 102 · RichardsonWes Virdell (R)House District 53 · Brady

Activity

89th Legislature (2025), regular session

Efficiency is the share of bills referred to the committee during the session that it reported out. Source: Texas Legislature Online committee reports.

Interim Charges

1. Monitoring. Monitor the implementation and associated rulemaking of all legislation passed by the Committee and enacted by the 89th Legislature to ensure that legislative purposes are properly implemented.
2. Violent Crime Clearance Rates and Investigative Capacity. Examine violent crime clearance rates in Texas and identify barriers to the effective prosecution of violent offenses, including investigative resources, forensic capacity, interagency coordination, and crime reporting practices. Evaluate whether disparate prosecutorial policies are impacting the prosecution of serious offenses, and assess how the enforcement of bond conditions affects recidivism and public safety. Make recommendations to improve case clearance, strengthen coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors, and ensure consistent enforcement of criminal laws.
3. Fraud and Financial Exploitation of Elderly and Vulnerable Texans. Examine trends related to fraud, financial exploitation, and abuse targeting elderly and vulnerable Texans, including crimes involving telecommunications and emerging technologies. Review the effectiveness of current criminal statutes, penalties, restitution tools, and coordination among law enforcement and regulatory agencies. Identify gaps in detection, investigation, prosecution, and victim recovery.
4. Juvenile Justice. Evaluate the effectiveness of indeterminate and determinate sentencing in promoting accountability, rehabilitation, and public safety, including whether current commitment and probation practices for serious offenses provide sufficient supervision. Recommend statutory or policy changes to improve coordination, strengthen accountability, identify barriers in information sharing, and enhance public safety.
5. Rural Criminal Justice Workforce Development. Study the feasibility of developing partnerships with Texas-based law schools to strengthen the pipeline of criminal prosecutors and defense attorneys serving rural and underserved areas of the state. Evaluate potential training pathways, clinical opportunities, or incentive-based partnerships with law schools that could support rural and underserved communities in maintaining a strong criminal justice workforce.
6. Agency Oversight. Monitor the agencies under the Committee’s jurisdiction, including for fraud, waste, and abuse, where applicable. The jurisdiction of the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee includes the following agencies:
   • The Office of State Prosecuting Attorney;
   • The Texas State Council for Interstate Adult Offender Supervision;
   • The Texas Juvenile Justice Board;
   • The Texas Juvenile Justice Department;
   • The Office of Independent Ombudsman for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department; and
   • The Advisory Council on Juvenile Services.

Subcommittees

• Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice · Chair: David Cook (R)

TPR Coverage