HOUSTON — Gov. Greg Abbott signed three new bail reform bills in Houston on Tuesday at a packed Crime Stoppers event, with two measures automatically becoming law while the third requires voter approval in November.

The signing ceremony drew about 200 attendees, including numerous law enforcement officials and victims' families who displayed what State Sen. Joan Huffman of Houston called "quiet courage." Huffman authored all three bills that were signed at the downtown Houston event.

The first measure, Senate Bill 9, bans personal bonds for certain violent or repeat offenders and requires elected judges, rather than magistrates, to decide bail in serious cases. The second bill, Senate Bill 40, prevents local governments from giving public money to nonprofits that pay bail for de

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