AUSTIN, Texas —
The "Natalia Cox Act" is a law that could give Texans important resources at critical times of need. It was passed due, in no small part, to parents on a mission to honor their daughter's legacy.
The law is named after Huston-Tillotson University student Natalia Cox, who was murdered in March 2021. Her parents say if this law was around then, things might have worked out differently for their daughter. That's why they worked so hard to get it passed – to protect others.
"We want to do this for Natalia. We wanted to be Natalia's voice that she can't be right now," said LaKeshia Cox, Natalia Cox's mother.
LaKeshia Cox and her husband, Lester, put in countless hours driving to Austin from the Dallas area to testify and meet with lawmakers. They say they couldn't have done it without the help and support of others who also wanted to make sure their daughter's name lived on.
"Everything that she stood for, her values, I think, are encompassed in the bill and of the countless lives that she's going to save," Lester Cox said.
Natalia Cox was killed by someone she had only gone on two dates with. Police believe Henry Watson threatened her with a gun at her home.
She tried to move out of her apartment, but her complex hit her with so many fees, she couldn't afford to leave.
She didn't know about the resources available to help her get out.
"We really feel like if you look back at the situation, what could have been a situation changer was just the knowledge of having, knowing her rights," LeKeshia Cox said. "We hope to empower people because when you give someone the knowledge, when you give someone access to information, it's like you give them that ability to take the next step to help themselves."
The Natalia Cox Act, or Senate Bill 1325, will help domestic violence, stalking, harassment and terroristic threat survivors across Texas. It requires law enforcement and health care professionals to give survivors written information with details on how to get out of a dangerous situation, including their rights to get a protective order or break a lease.
"This law is going to help a lot of people because it's going to provide concrete written information to victims about many different options that they have," said Bronwyn Blake, the chief legal officer at the Texas Advocacy Project. "That's a moment where you're in crisis, [and] it's difficult to process information when you're in crisis. So having this in writing is going to be so helpful."
The Texas Advocacy Project provides free legal services to survivors, including help getting protective orders.
"Protective order[s] save lives. It is a piece of paper, but they're statistically the most likely intervention to keep you safe," Blake said. "There are some studies that show protective orders are as much as 80% effective in keeping someone safe from future violence."
SB 1325 was written by State Sen. Carol Alvarado (D-Houston).
"Hearing the story, not just about what happened to her, but about her life and what a vibrant, young, energetic person she was – loved by many. And to know that we can make a difference here, and that's why we do this job," Alvarado said.
Alvarado was approached by State Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin) to carry the bill in the Senate.
Goodwin wrote the House version of the bill and presented Lester and LaKeshia Cox with a resolution and the flag that was flown over the Texas State Capitol the day the bill was signed into law.
The Coxes met with both lawmakers as they drafted their versions of the bill.
"We gave her a testimony and told a little of who Natalia was and what she stood for. And I think that that's ultimately – it gave substance to the bill. That it wasn't just, you know, a nameless bill or a faceless bill," Lester Cox said.
Their input was something Alvarado said gave the bill more strength as it made its way through the chambers.
"If they hadn't come to the Capitol and met with us? I don't think the bill would have gotten as far as it did. It wouldn't be law today. They turned their loss, their tragedy into advocacy," Alvarado said.
Lester and LaKeshia Cox also had support from law enforcement.
"We were able to get the Justice of the Peace Constables Association's full endorsement and support. Our association is the largest association of elected officials in the state of Texas," Dallas County Constable Michael Orozco said.
Orozco testified on behalf of the bill.
"My testimony was 100% with emotion because I believe so much into this bill," he said. "My many years of experience in the constable's office – because we enforce both criminal and civil law, I knew that there was a remedy out there."
Orozco said he has past experience with similar situations and had partnered with a lawmaker during the previous legislative session to try to get a similar law passed. That bill didn't make it out of committee, but Orozco never gave up.
"We want to prevent incidents like Natalia Cox. It's unfortunate that this happened, but at the same time, we can turn this into a positive," Orozco said. "I know that the parents loved her so much, but they know and they feel they have a responsibility to get this information out there because they don't want another family to go through what they went through."
While the law's passing doesn't bring their daughter back, Lester and LaKeshia Cox say it does help to know her name will be used to save others.
"We're definitely grateful. But ultimately, you know, of course, we would rather have our daughter here," Lester Cox said. "But to speak to her legacy, that's the highest honor that someone can get."
The law took effect immediately after Gov. Greg Abbott signed it because more than two-thirds of lawmakers in each chamber voted for it.
"It is so powerful. I mean, just hearing her name mentioned at the Capitol, just knowing that her name is recognized across the state," LaKeshia Cox said. "Knowing that she's not here, but that her story, her character, she continues to live on is so rewarding that her name is known and she's known. And that makes me smile also."
The law will require the Texas Health And Human Services Commission to create a form that will standardize the information to be given out to survivors.