NATION : Repeal of Law on Crime Victims OKd

AUSTIN, Tex. —  The Texas Senate today voted without debate to repeal a three-week-old law that lets police withhold crime victims’ names from the press and public. The 24-0 vote sent the bill to the House.

The law, which took effect June 14, created a storm of protest in the news media.

Republican John Leedom, the Senate sponsor of the law, also sponsored the repeal. He said the law had been “misapplied to such an extent that many law enforcement officers are not furnishing (information)--that was not the intent.” Supporters had said it would protect victims from being pestered by alarm salesmen and security companies.