AUSTIN, Texas – For the second time in two sessions, Texas will not see legislation aimed at curbing deadly dog attacks and increasing penalties for irresponsible owners, despite bipartisan support and a governor-backed revision of the bill.
The law was originally introduced as the Ramon Najera Act, named after an 81-year-old Air Force veteran who was mauled to death in 2023 while protecting his wife on a San Antonio sidewalk.
“They should have changed the protocol a long time ago,” said Janie Najera, who survived the attack. “If that would have happened, my husband would still be alive.”
After Ramon’s death, his family pushed for change.
Lawmakers created a bill that would strengthen penalties against owners of dangerous dogs and improve the state’s reporting system.
It passed both chambers of the Texas Legislature in 2023. But in a move that shocked supporters, Governor Greg Abbott vetoed it.
A Second Chance
Lawmakers returned in 2025 with a new version of the bill—this time, working directly with the Governor’s office. But once again, it failed to reach the finish line.
“It’s just disappointing because I think it’s so needed. We’re still continuing to have these issues,” said State Rep. Liz Campos, the San Antonio Democrat who carried the Najera Act in 2023.
Her 2025 version never made it to a committee hearing.
Meanwhile, Republican State Rep. John Lujan filed a similar version with the governor’s requested changes.
It was left pending in committee and was not approved before key House deadlines.
“It was just a little bit too late,” Lujan said.
What Went Wrong?
We traveled up to Austin in the final days of the legislature to ask San Antonio leaders why another session was ending with the same fate.
Lawmakers say the bill had momentum—until it didn’t.
“Apparently, other cities aren’t dealing with the same plague, the same problem that we are,” said State Sen. José Menéndez (D-San Antonio), adding that some lawmakers questioned why one city alone would need increased penalties.
Campos agreed, adding, “They just don’t understand how critical it is for us to get a dangerous dog bill in.”
We asked how the San Antonio delegation can show other lawmakers how big of a deal this issue is for San Antonio.
“We need to become unified. We need to talk to leadership. We need to show the leadership of both chambers and the Governor’s office why this is necessary,” Menéndez said. “I plan on asking them to come to visit… I think if we put together a video of the reality of San Antonio and showed it to all the members, they might go, ‘Oh wow, I didn’t realize that.'”
Several lawmakers stressed to us how difficult it is to get bills passed. Thousands are filed, but they won’t all make it to the finish line.
“What we need to do now is really work in the interim and really come together and be on the same page,” Lujan said.
We asked why those actions weren’t taken in the interim before this session.
Lujan said lawmakers came in confident, but unexpected opposition and deadline pressure proved to be too much.
“Sometimes people get hung up on one or two things,” Menéndez said. “And this is one of those examples.”
City Leaders Left Waiting
San Antonio is still seeing dog attacks, including the tragic mauling of a toddler, Jiryiah Johnson, in October. He was killed by his babysitter’s dogs.
City councilmembers say they were relying on state support.
“We can build the policies, and we can issue the ordinances,” said Councilwoman Melissa Cabello Havrda, “but the enforcement—a lot of it is up to the state.”
With no state law in place, some lawmakers are calling on local leaders to fill the gap.
“Our city leaders can put some things in place today, model legislation that we can even carry for the rest of the state,” Lujan said.
“We’ve gotta keep trying,” added State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who has served as a city councilmember. “We’ve gotta keep trying with local ordinances to try and stave off this problem.”
What Happens Next
The next opportunity to pass statewide dog attack legislation won’t come until 2027.
San Antonio senators and representatives have already voiced their intention to bring the issue back up.
For families like the Najeras, that wait feels unbearable.
“We needed it so much,” Janie Najera told us. “My husband deserves that.”
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