[AUSTIN, TX]— Representative Gene Wu (Houston) expressed disappointment this afternoon that a provision which would have raised the age at which youth are considered adults in Texas’ criminal justice system from 17 to 18 was stripped from a juvenile justice reform bill. A bi-partisan coalition of policy advocates joined Wu and other legislators to affirm their ongoing commitment to moving 17-year-olds out of adult criminal courts, jails, and prisons.

Last week, the House voted to include the ‘raise the age’ proposal as an amendment to Senator Whitmire’s Senate Bill 1630, but the provision was removed from the bill in a conference committee compromise to ensure the original bill’s passage.

“I commend Senator Whitmire for his tireless commitment to juvenile justice issues in Texas, and for his tremendous work on SB 1630, which will greatly reform our juvenile justice system,” Wu said. “While, we are disappointed that ‘raise the age’ was not included in the final version of the bill, we look forward to working with Senator Whitmire and Governor Abbott over the interim so that we can get this done next session. It’s what is best for our youth, counties, and the state; and it’s the right thing to do.”

Click here to read the rest of this press release by the Office of Representative Gene Wu.