AUSTIN (KXAN) — House Bill 274, otherwise known as the “District of Austin” bill, was voted down 11-0 by the House Committee on State Affairs.
The bill, which was introduced March 19, would have stripped the city of Austin of its governing authority and turned it into the District of Austin. A similar bill was filed in 2022, but it was also voted down.
Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Houston, who authored the bill, previously said HB 274 would help ensure Austin remained accountable to Texas by establishing a District of Austin as the official city of the state’s government.
Cain cited the city’s “surging crime” as a reason for the bill; however, he did not cite a specific report for his claim about Austin’s crime rates.
Previously, the city of Austin released a memo, opposing the bill and calling it “vague” and lacking clarity on how the District of Austin would be governed. In a previous hearing, state lawmakers expressed similar concerns.
“Austin’s Violent Crime Rate for 2024 is 59.6% lower than Houston, 43.8% lower than Lubbock, and 21.4% lower than San Antonio according to the Texas Department of Public Safety Uniform Crime Reporting System Crime in Texas Report Top 25 Violent Crime Comparison report,” the memo said.
