BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1285 By: Simmons Homeland Security & Public Safety Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Interested parties note that personal protection officers employed to protect politicians, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals go through more training than other private security officers and compose a relatively small group of officers. These officers, however, are required by law to leave their firearm behind if their client enters certain premises, such as a school, court, racetrack, airport, or polling place. These parties assert that this puts the lives of both the officer and the person they are protecting at risk. H.B. 1285 seeks to address this public safety concern. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS H.B. 1285 amends the Penal Code to establish that statutory provisions relating to the offense of carrying certain weapons in places where such weapons are prohibited do not apply to a person who acts as a personal protection officer and carries the person's security officer commission and personal protection officer authorization if the person is engaged in the performance of the person's duties as a personal protection officer or is traveling to or from the person's place of assignment and is either wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in plain view or not wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in a concealed manner. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2015.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 1285
By: Simmons
Homeland Security & Public Safety
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 1285
By: Simmons
Homeland Security & Public Safety
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Interested parties note that personal protection officers employed to protect politicians, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals go through more training than other private security officers and compose a relatively small group of officers. These officers, however, are required by law to leave their firearm behind if their client enters certain premises, such as a school, court, racetrack, airport, or polling place. These parties assert that this puts the lives of both the officer and the person they are protecting at risk. H.B. 1285 seeks to address this public safety concern.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS H.B. 1285 amends the Penal Code to establish that statutory provisions relating to the offense of carrying certain weapons in places where such weapons are prohibited do not apply to a person who acts as a personal protection officer and carries the person's security officer commission and personal protection officer authorization if the person is engaged in the performance of the person's duties as a personal protection officer or is traveling to or from the person's place of assignment and is either wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in plain view or not wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in a concealed manner.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2015.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties note that personal protection officers employed to protect politicians, celebrities, and other high-profile individuals go through more training than other private security officers and compose a relatively small group of officers. These officers, however, are required by law to leave their firearm behind if their client enters certain premises, such as a school, court, racetrack, airport, or polling place. These parties assert that this puts the lives of both the officer and the person they are protecting at risk. H.B. 1285 seeks to address this public safety concern.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
H.B. 1285 amends the Penal Code to establish that statutory provisions relating to the offense of carrying certain weapons in places where such weapons are prohibited do not apply to a person who acts as a personal protection officer and carries the person's security officer commission and personal protection officer authorization if the person is engaged in the performance of the person's duties as a personal protection officer or is traveling to or from the person's place of assignment and is either wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in plain view or not wearing the uniform of a security officer and carrying the officer's weapon in a concealed manner.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2015.