A representative from Alexandria has introduced legislation aiming to block attempts to defund the police in our state.

The legislation, introduced by Representative Lance Harris, essentially punishes local government entities and universities that defund police due to political persuasion. Under the bill, any university or local government entity that cuts a police budget by at least 10 percent would have to report it to a Legislative committee. That committee would then review the reasoning behind the cut.

If that committee decided the cuts were politically-based, the university or entity would lose their capital outlay and their sales tax deduction.

At this time, we're not sure when this bill will get its first hearing before a legislative committee, but I would expect it to be both heavily-favored and heavily-opposed across party lines.

Naturally, Representative Harris is very-much against the "Defund Police" movement. He says, "My goal here is to make sure that no city in the state will ever defund their police department over political pressure."

He also spoke about why he believes his legislation should pass, saying, "Let’s say that you're a municipality and you defund your police department. It not only hurts the citizens that live there but it has ramifications for everyone around you that does business in that municipality.” Harris continued by saying, "It’s not just about the protection of life and property, it's about the protection of our way of life, our free enterprise system, and our free market.”

 

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