Bills seek to close safety loopholes in group homes after deaths of intellectually disabled Texans.
DALLAS — The deaths of two North Texas men with intellectual disabilities revealed through WFAA’s Disabled in Danger investigation have reignited calls for reform. State Rep. Chris Turner has reintroduced legislation aimed at addressing the loopholes exposed in the wake of their deaths.
Joshua Moore, who had the intellect of a third grader, was living in a state-funded group home when tragedy struck. In 2021, his caretaker admitted to police that he shot and killed Joshua after leaving a knife out, which he said Joshua grabbed.
“There simply shouldn’t be firearms around that that are accessible,” Turner said.
A WFAA investigation uncovered that Texas does not ban firearms in group homes. In response, Turner has refiled “Joshua’s Act,” a bill that would prohibit guns in group homes caring for people with intellectual disabilities.
“This would simply extend the same common-sense protections that we currently have in nursing homes, that we currently have in hospitals, to also include group homes,” Turner said.
Joshua’s father, Don Moore, supports the legislation.
“It’s needed for safety and protection and has nothing to do with the Second Amendment,” he said.
However, the bill faces an uphill battle in a legislature where restrictive gun bills have become an anathema. In the last legislative session, it failed to advance out of committee.
“I’m hopeful that we can earn some bipartisan support on this bill because it’s a common-sense bill,” Turner said.
Turner is also renewing efforts on another piece of legislation stemming from WFAA’s 2019 investigation into the death of Leroy Anderson, another intellectually disabled man. The investigation revealed that the owner of Anderson’s group home, not his family, was poised to collect his $50,000 life insurance payout.
“It is the definition of a conflict of interest and a conflict of interest impacting some of the most vulnerable people in our society, and so that’s a loophole that needs to be closed yesterday,” Turner said.
The proposed bill would prohibit non-family caregivers from collecting life insurance benefits from clients in their care after the client’s death.
“We passed that in the House last time by an overwhelming bipartisan vote. Unfortunately, it failed in the Senate, but we’re gonna try again,” Turner said.
WFAA’s Disabled in Danger investigation has already prompted change. In 2023, Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a measure requiring national background checks for caretakers and granting regulators the authority to suspend those with troubling records.
