Fort Bend Legislators File Bill in Honor of Deputy Caleb Rule 

by: Rep. Jetton, Jacey

AUSTIN, TX – State Representative Jacey Jetton (Richmond) and State Senator Joan Huffman (Houston) filed legislation to expand survivor education benefits available to the children of first responders who are killed in the line of duty. House Bill 133 will be named the Caleb Rule Act, in honor of the Fort Bend County deputy who was killed in the line of duty last year. Senator Joan Huffman filed SB 46, the companion bill in the Texas Senate.

“Deputy Caleb Rule was a devoted husband, father, and member of the Fort Bend Community,” said Jetton, who serves on the House Public Health Committee. “Just over a year ago he was killed in the line of duty, leaving behind four young children. We owe a great debt to Deputy Rule and to first responders and their families. The State of Texas must ensure we are providing higher education opportunities for surviving children of these first responders who pay the last full measure of devotion.”

The Caleb Rule Act expands existing survivor benefits to include college age children, allowing them to receive tuition assistance, beginning with the Spring Semester of 2022. The Caleb Rule Act would go into effect immediately if it receives a two-third majority vote in both the House and Senate before being signed into law by the Governor.

“I am a proud and long-time supporter of our law enforcement,” said Huffman, who chairs the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence and authored the Back the Blue Act. “The Caleb Rule Act is a common sense way for the State of Texas to support the families of officers killed in the line of duty. I look forward to the opportunity to present this bill to my colleagues for consideration and to the positive effects it will have on the futures of the surviving children."

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