| 1 | 1 | | 84R10106 JSC-F |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | By: Pickett H.B. No. 2298 |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to prohibiting certain public places from excluding peace |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | officers or special investigators from carrying weapons on the |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | premises. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 2, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Article 2.1305 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Art. 2.1305. CARRYING WEAPON ON CERTAIN PREMISES. (a) An |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | establishment serving the public may not prohibit or otherwise |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | restrict a peace officer or special investigator from carrying on |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | its premises a weapon that the peace officer or special |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | investigator is otherwise authorized to carry, regardless of |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | whether the peace officer or special investigator is engaged in the |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | actual discharge of the officer's or investigator's duties while |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | carrying the weapon. |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | (b) For purposes of this article: |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (1) "Establishment serving the public" means: |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | (A) a hotel, motel, or other place of lodging; |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (B) a restaurant or other place where food is |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | offered for sale to the public; |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (C) a retail business or other commercial |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | establishment or an office building to which the general public is |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | invited; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (D) a sports venue; and |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (E) any other place of public accommodation, |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | amusement, convenience, or resort to which the general public or |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | any classification of persons from the general public is regularly, |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | normally, or customarily invited. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (2) "Sports venue" means an arena, coliseum, stadium, |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | or other type of area or facility that is primarily used or is |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | planned for primary use for one or more professional or amateur |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | sports or athletics events and for which a fee is charged or is |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | planned to be charged for admission to the sports or athletics |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | events, other than occasional civic, charitable, or promotional |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | events. |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | to conduct that occurs on or after the effective date of this Act. |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | Conduct that occurs before the effective date of this Act is |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | governed by the law in effect on the date the conduct occurred, and |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|