Mom: Sandra Bland settlement 'a victory for moms across the country' Tentative settlement reached in federal lawsuit over Bland jail death

In this undated photo provided by the Bland family, Sandra Bland poses for a photo. The family of Bland, who was found dead in her Texas jail cell, assert that she would not have taken her own life, but authorities are pointing to mounting evidence that they say shows she hanged herself. (Courtesy of Bland family) less In this undated photo provided by the Bland family, Sandra Bland poses for a photo. The family of Bland, who was found dead in her Texas jail cell, assert that she would not have taken her own life, but ... more Photo: HONS Photo: HONS Image 1 of / 176 Caption Close Mom: Sandra Bland settlement 'a victory for moms across the country' 1 / 176 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: State Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, announced he will file the Sandra Bland Act in the upcoming session of the Texas Legislature to include recommended changes in jails across the state.

"The Sandra Bland Act will include her family's wishes and recommendations that have been discussed at the House Committee on County Affairs oversight hearings that have arisen out of the Sandra Bland case," Coleman said in a written statement.

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The mother of Sandra Bland - who died in 2015 in the Waller County Jail - said her tentative $1.9 million settlement with state and county officials is "a victory for moms across the country."

The tentative settlement - reached late Wednesday - calls for reforms in Waller County and improvements at rural jails across the state.

"I believe this is going to be a rippling effect across the country," Geneva Reed-Veal said Thursday. "I'm hopeful there won't be any more unlawful arrests. I'm hopeful with this spotlight and this settlement that others don't have to receive a call from 1,000 miles away that their child is on the way to the morgue."

Reed-Veal, of Chicago, has been outspoken about police abuse and jail reform after her daughter died in an apparent suicide at the Waller County Jail following a questionable traffic stop.

Under terms of the settlement, Waller County would pay $1.8 million and the Texas Department of Public Safety would pay $100,000, according to San Antonio attorney Tom Rhodes, one of three lawyers who represented Bland's mother in the federal lawsuit she filed in Houston.

The settlement needs approval of state officials and Waller County commissioners before being finalized, officials said.

Waller County's attorney Larry Simmons issued a statement Thursday saying that details were still being worked out and that the county agreed all details would be confidential until finalized.

The settlement does not include any admission of wrongdoing, he said.

The tentative settlement calls for jail reforms not just in Waller County but in other rural jails in Texas, a move that would require action by state lawmakers.

The family asked that any bill passed by legislators bear Sandra Bland's name, according to lawyers.

RELATED: Sandra Bland's mother shares emotional message at DNC

In July 2015, DPS Trooper Brian Encinia arrested Bland during a questionable traffic stop, alleging she had assaulted him. Three days later, the 28-year-old woman committed suicide while in the Waller County Jail.

Bland's mother filed the federal lawsuit against Waller County, several county officials and two jailers, and Encinia.

Under terms of the settlement released Thursday, changes would be required for both DPS and Waller County.

The DPS would provide de-escalation training for all current and future troopers statewide.

Waller County would be required to have a nurse or emergency technician at the jail round-the-clock, and would set up a tele-medicine system so inmates could be screened by physicians face-to-face, Rhodes said.

The county also would be required to set up sensors to validate cell checks electronically, he said.

State lawmakers would be asked to work together to draft legislation in Bland's name to require similar changes in other rural jails.

Simmons said in the statement that the terms of the settlement would go before commissioners for approval. He said the county would be required to pay only a $1,000 deductible but did not provide additional details about whether a county insurance policy might pick up the bulk of the settlement.

DPS officials said no settlement has been finalized. The Texas Attorney General's Office declined to comment.

The settlement "was an admission of guilt in some way," said Hannah Bonner, a United Methodist minister who held a months-long vigil outside Waller County jail after Bland's death.

The nearly $2 million that DPS and Waller County had agreed to pay was also significant, she said.

"It represents a very large percentage of the economy of that county, so it's more significant than it may seem," she said.

She also cheered the requirement that Waller County push for statewide changes to rural jails.

"One thing I had hoped for since beginning of the case was that Sandra's case would change things for people in rural jails, where the awareness and accountability surrounding what's happening to them is virtually nonexistent," she said.

She and others were still waiting to see what would happen in Encinia's criminal trial, she said.

"Are they going to settle with the officer or are they going to go through with this criminal trial?" she said. "That's the next big question to be answered."

Houston civil rights activists applauded the Bland family's decision to settle its case.

"It's been a yearlong plus battle to get justice for their sister and their daughter, and I fully support them," Ashton Woods, a civil rights activist with Houston Black Lives Matter.

Bland's death forced a nationwide conversation about deaths in jail and the need for social justice, he said.

"Sandra has lived on through many of the things that have taken place in the last year," he said.