By: West S.B. No. 1212
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to granting limited state law enforcement authority to
special agents of the Office of Inspector General of the United
States Department of Veterans Affairs.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Article 2.122, Code of Criminal
Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
(a) The following named criminal investigators of the
United States shall not be deemed peace officers, but shall have the
powers of arrest, search and seizure as to felony offenses only
under the laws of the State of Texas:
(1) Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation;
(2) Special Agents of the United States Secret
Service;
(3) Special Agents of the United States Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agency [Customs Service];
(4) Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
[and] Firearms and Explosives;
(5) Special Agents of the United States [Federal] Drug
Enforcement Administration [Agency];
(6) Inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection
Service;
(7) Special Agents of the Criminal Investigation
Division and Inspectors of the Internal Security Division of the
Internal Revenue Service;
(8) Civilian Special Agents of the United States Naval
Criminal Investigative Service;
(9) Marshals and Deputy Marshals of the United States
Marshals Service;
(10) [Special Agents of the United States Immigration
and Naturalization Service; and
[(11)] Special Agents of the United States Department
of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; and
(11) Special Agents of the Office of Inspector General
of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.