A Comeback for Tulia-Style Drug Task Forces?

UPDATE

Are Tulia-style drug task forces preparing to make a comeback?

Just a week after the last of the Tulia defendants were approved to receive compensation for wrongful imprisonment, a vaguely worded Memorandum of Understanding was published in the March 30 Texas Register between the Department of Public Safety and the Governor's Criminal Justice division. Mostly the document blandly discusses general information sharing and DPS participation in unnamed gubernatorial advisory committees, but the final paragraph declares that the MOU will "enable CJD and DPS to comply with state and federal reporting requirements and to assess the effectiveness of each drug task force funded by the state." (emphasis added)

Huh?!

I was under the impression that the Governor de-funded all of Texas' regional drug task forces last year!

Rep. David Farabee, a Democrat from Wichita Falls, proposed a floor amendment this week to the House budget to supply the regional task force in his area $300,000, which to my knowledge would have made it the only one in the state receiving funds. But his amendment (#95) was tabled on a vote of 81-60.

So which drug task forces are they talking about in the MOU? Is the Governor planning to start them back up now, and if so, why?

More on this to come as I get it. In the meantime, see prior Grits coverage of this peculiar institution, previously thought defunct within Texas' borders.