Bail Bond Policing From Austin
SB 40 blocks local governments from using public funds to pay bail bonds, because apparently even city budgets need a hall monitor.
Dan Patrick loves local control right up until locals control something he wants to headline.
Senate Bill 40's official caption says it relates to "the use by a political subdivision of public funds to pay bail bonds" and authorizes injunctive relief. Texas Legislature Online lists SB 40 as effective on 9/1/25.
The city budget gets a babysitter
This is the Patrick pattern in miniature: Austin decides a local practice is politically useful, then tells counties, cities, and other political subdivisions what they may not do with public funds.
Maybe your county voters like that rule. Maybe they do not. The point is that Patrick's supposedly limited-government machine keeps finding new places where local judgment needs a leash.
The receipt is the caption
No rumor is needed here. The Legislature's own page says the bill is about restricting public funds for bail bonds and authorizing court relief.
That is not a campaign mailer. That is the state record wearing boots.
Vote for fewer permission slips
Texans can demand public safety, fiscal discipline, and accountability without turning every local decision into another Austin veto point.
Dan Patrick is up in 2026. Vikki Goodwin is the alternative for Texans who want practical government instead of statewide micromanagement dressed up as toughness.
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Meet the alternative: Vikki Goodwin
Texas has a choice. State Rep. Vikki Goodwin is running for Lieutenant Governor on a platform of fully funding public schools, protecting the grid, and keeping government out of small businesses it doesn't understand. If you're tired of Dan Patrick's priorities, there's somewhere else to put your vote.