Published: January 25, 2006 10:38 am      

Staples receives ‘Law & Order Award’

District 3 State Senator Todd Staples (R- Palestine) will be honored today by the Texas District and County Attorneys Association with its “Law and Order Award.”

The presentation is at 6:30 p.m. at the Omni Bayfront Hotel in Corpus Christi, during the TDCAA’s annual Criminal and Civil Law update conference.

Staples will be recognized for his legislative work on criminal justice and public safety issues during the 79th regular session.

Senator Staples successfully filed and passed numerous bills on behalf of Texas prosecutors and crime victims during his career in the legislature.

This past year, he authored the “Faye Bell Harris Bill” which became Proposition 4, the constitutional amendment to grant judges the authority to deny bail to certain felons who violate terms of their release. Proposition 4 received more public support than any other proposed constitutional amendment during the November elections.

As chairman of the Senate Committee on Transportation and Homeland Security, Staples ensured the passage of several bills designed to protect Texans from new, modern threats to public safety. He also supported prosecutors by voting against bills that could have weakened laws on capital punishment and probation.

“Senator Todd Staples has been a friend to law enforcement, prosecutors and crime victims for years,” Elmer Beckworth, Cherokee County District Attorney, said. “His sponsorship of Proposition 4 will protect victims. In short, Senator Staples has made Texas a safer place to live.”

“Our county and district attorneys provide tremendous leadership to our criminal justice system,” Staples said in the release. “I have enjoyed working closely with them to promote laws that protect the lives of Texans, and I am honored to receive this prestigious award.”