Conroe repeals juvenile curfew ordinance in response to state law

At its Sept. 14 meeting, Conroe City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to repeal its juvenile curfew in response to House Bill 1819, which prohibits cities from enforcing curfew ordinances unless in times of emergency management.

The ordinance was approved as part of the consent agenda, on which items are approved with one motion without discussion. Council Member Harry Hardman was absent from the meeting.

Zooming out

Passed by the 88th Texas Legislature, HB 1819 was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 9 and became effective Sept. 1, according to Texas Legislature Online.

The bill “seeks to ensure that all young Texans have opportunities to succeed without the burden of a criminal record early in life by eliminating the authority of political subdivisions to adopt or enforce juvenile curfews,” according to its bill analysis.

The details

According to its website, Conroe previously mandated the following curfew hours for any person under age 17:

• Sun.-Thu., 11 p.m.-6 a.m.
• Fri.-Sat., 12:01-6 a.m.

What else?

A curfew can still be enforced during times of emergency management, interim City Attorney Mike Garner said at the Sept. 13 workshop meeting.