AUSTIN, Texas — Texas lawmakers are considering a bill that would require police to tell victims of domestic violence about the resources available to help them – including how to break a lease.
On Tuesday, the House Human Services Committee discussed House Bill 2229, or the "Natalia Cox Act."
The bill, filed by State Rep. Vikki Goodwin (D-Austin), is named for a 21-year-old Huston-Tillotson University student who was murdered in her apartment in March 2021 by a man police said threatened her with a gun just one week earlier.
Police later arrested Henry Watson for Cox's murder. Investigators claim Cox had been on two dates with Watson during the days leading up to her death.
Following the tragedy, Goodwin told the KVUE Defenders that Cox’s situation highlighted the need for stronger laws to protect domestic violence victims.
While the Texas Property Code allows domestic violence victims to break a lease without penalties by showing documentation like an emergency protective order, Cox did not have an emergency protective order.
In the four business days that Cox had between Watson’s alleged threat then murder, it would have been “extremely difficult” to get the emergency protective order approved by a judge during a time when the court system was already backlogged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a prosecutor familiar with the process.
HB 2229 would help create a written notice that could be given to victims of domestic violence to assist them in obtaining services, including organizations that can help with safety planning, shelter and protection. The notice would also include information on victims’ legal rights, such as filing criminal charges, obtaining an emergency protective order and terminating a lease due to a threat.
Under the bill, any officer who responds to a domestic violence allegation would have to provide the victim with that information.
The bill would also apply to medical professionals who treat people for injuries believed to be caused by domestic violence. Medical professionals would be required to provide victims with information regarding the nearest domestic violence shelters and document that in the person’s medical file.
"It just takes one person to hand that pamphlet and start a conversation that we feel like will change so many lives, save so many lives," LaKeshia Cox, Natalia Cox's mother, told lawmakers on Tuesday. "And having one standardized resource across the state for everyone to get the same help.
The bill was left pending in committee.
Another bill heard by lawmakers Tuesday also relates to Cox's case. The House Committee on Corrections discussed HB 479, which would require that if a person is found incompetent to stand trial, they must be taken to a facility for competency restoration services within 21 days.
In July 2021, Watson was found incompetent to stand trial for Cox's murder. A judge ordered that he undergo up to 120 days of inpatient treatment at a mental health facility or residential care facility for further evaluation, according to court documents. Jail records show that he is still being held at the Travis County Correctional Complex as of March 22.
HB 479 was also left pending in committee.