| 1 | 1 | | By: Stickland H.B. No. 137 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to grants of appropriated money to certa |
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| 7 | 7 | | in peace officer |
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| 8 | 8 | | organizations. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 614, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Subchapter L to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SUBCHAPTER L. GRANTS TO PEACE OFFICER ORGANIZATIONS |
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| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 614.211. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 14 | 14 | | (1) "Appropriated money" means money appropriated by |
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| 15 | 15 | | the legislature through the General Appropriations Act or other |
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| 16 | 16 | | law. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (2) "Peace officer organization" means an |
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| 18 | 18 | | association, group, union, lodge, local, or other organization, |
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| 19 | 19 | | whether incorporated or unincorporated, in which peace officers |
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| 20 | 20 | | participate and that exists wholly or partly to deal with employers |
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| 21 | 21 | | concerning grievances, labor disputes, wages and rates of pay, |
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| 22 | 22 | | hours of employment, and conditions of work. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) "Political committee," "political contribution," |
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| 24 | 24 | | and "political expenditure" have the meanings assigned by Section |
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| 25 | 25 | | 251.001, Election Code. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (4) "State agency" means: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) a department, commission, board, office, or |
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| 28 | 28 | | other entity in the executive branch of state government; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (B) the supreme court, the court of criminal |
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| 30 | 30 | | appeals, another entity in the judicial branch of state government |
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| 31 | 31 | | with statewide authority, or a court of appeals; or |
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| 32 | 32 | | (C) a university system or an institution of |
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| 33 | 33 | | higher education as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code. |
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| 34 | 34 | | Sec. 614.212. RESTRICTIONS ON GRANT-MAKING. A state agency |
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| 35 | 35 | | may not use any money under the agency's control, including |
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| 36 | 36 | | appropriated money, to make a grant or other distribution to a peace |
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| 37 | 37 | | officer organization if: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) the organization or an employee of the |
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| 39 | 39 | | organization is required to register under Chapter 305; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) the organization employs a person for the purpose |
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| 41 | 41 | | of affecting the outcome of legislation, agency rules, ordinances, |
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| 42 | 42 | | or other governmental policies; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (3) the organization establishes a political |
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| 44 | 44 | | committee or assists a political committee in performing political |
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| 45 | 45 | | activities; or |
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| 46 | 46 | | (4) the organization makes a political contribution or |
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| 47 | 47 | | political expenditure. |
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| 48 | 48 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 49 | 49 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 50 | 50 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 51 | 51 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 52 | 52 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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