PETITION TO ENACT HANNAH'S LAW

Honor Hannah Rapp. Protect Texas Families. Save Lives.

HANNAH RAPP SHOULD STILL BE HERE.

She was a daughter, a loved one, a friend, and a young woman with dreams, ambitions, and a future that should never have been taken away.

Her life mattered. Her family should still be making memories with her; not visiting a gravesite.

Today, we ask the State of Texas to ensure that Hannah's name becomes more than a tragedy. We ask that it become a law that protects innocent lives.

WHY HANNAH'S LAW IS NEEDED

Every Texan shares the road with strangers every day, trusting that those who repeatedly prove themselves to be dangerous will be held accountable before another innocent life is lost.

Driving is a privilege; not a right. That privilege carries an obligation to obey the law and protect the lives of others.

When a person repeatedly demonstrates dangerous disregard for public safety through criminal conduct, our justice system should have stronger legal tools to protect the public before tragedy occurs; not only afterward.

Public records in Hannah's case reveal years of criminal convictions and additional serious criminal proceedings involving the individual charged in her death. Those records include convictions for reckless driving, felony evading arrest with a motor vehicle, resisting arrest, criminal mischief, interference with an emergency request for assistance, and escape from custody. 

Before Hannah's death, the defendant had also been indicted on a felony charge of Deadly Conduct; Discharge of a Firearm; this tragedy happened while that case remained pending.

These are not opinions. They are matters reflected in public court records. Yet despite this documented history, existing law did not prevent another devastating tragedy.

No law can prevent every crime. But laws should give courts every reasonable tool available to protect innocent people when a documented pattern of dangerous conduct demonstrates that someone may pose a substantial risk to the public.

WHAT HANNAH'S LAW SHOULD DO

We respectfully call upon the Texas Legislature to enact Hannah's Law, legislation that would:

1.     Expand judicial authority, consistent with the Texas Constitution, the United States Constitution, and due process, to deny or revoke bond when clear legal standards establish that a defendant presents a substantial danger to the community.

2.     Require courts to consider a defendant's documented history of violent offenses, dangerous driving offenses, felony evading, bond violations, and other conduct directly relevant to public safety when making release decisions.

3.     Strengthen accountability for repeat offenders whose documented conduct repeatedly places innocent Texans at risk.

4.     Prioritize the protection of victims, families, and the public while preserving the constitutional rights guaranteed to every person.

HANNAH'S LEGACY

This petition is not about revenge. It is not about politics. It is not about assigning blame to any one judge, prosecutor, law enforcement officer, or court operating under existing law.

It is about recognizing that when tragedy reveals weaknesses in our laws, we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to improve them.

If Hannah's death inspires stronger protections that save even one life, then her legacy will continue through every family that never has to experience the same unimaginable loss.

No parent should receive that phone call. No sibling should lose a best friend. No family should have to wonder whether stronger laws could have made the difference.

STAND WITH HANNAH

If you believe Texas can do more to protect innocent families...

If you believe courts should have stronger legal authority to address defendants who demonstrate a documented pattern of dangerous conduct...

If you believe one preventable death is one too many...

PLEASE SIGN the Petition for HANNAH'S LAW.

Then, share it with your family.

Share it with your friends.

Share it with your coworkers.

Share it with your church.

Share it with your community.

Share it across Texas.

Share it across the United States.

Every signature tells our elected leaders that protecting innocent lives must come first.

Every share helps Hannah's story reach another person who can help make change possible.

Laws do not change because people remain silent.

They change because ordinary people refuse to accept that another family should suffer the same loss.

For Hannah.

For every family traveling Texas roads.

For every life that can still be saved.

Sign. Share. Speak up.

Honor Hannah.

Protect Texas.

Pass Hannah's Law.