Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1354 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	2015S0400-1 03/05/15
2	2	By: Hinojosa S.B. No. 1354
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to state border security activities.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is
10	10	amended by adding Section 411.0203 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 411.0203. SOUTH TEXAS BORDER CRIME INFORMATION CENTER.
12	12	(a) The department, with assistance from a municipal police
13	13	department and a county sheriff's department, shall establish and
14	14	operate the South Texas Border Crime Information Center as a
15	15	central repository of information relating to criminal activity in
16	16	the counties along the Texas-Mexico border. The center shall be
17	17	located in the county of the sheriff's department assisting the
18	18	department in establishing and operating the center.
19	19	(b) Each law enforcement agency in a county located along
20	20	the Texas-Mexico border shall report to the South Texas Border
21	21	Crime Information Center information regarding criminal activity
22	22	in the law enforcement agency's jurisdiction, including
23	23	information on kidnappings, home invasions, and incidents of
24	24	impersonation of law enforcement officers.
25	25	(c) The department shall make the information in the South
26	26	Texas Border Crime Information Center available to each law
27	27	enforcement agency in the state.
28	28	(d) The commission shall adopt rules concerning the
29	29	collection and distribution of sensitive law enforcement
30	30	information under this section.
31	31	(e) This section applies only to a county that:
32	32	(1) is located on the Texas-Mexico border;
33	33	(2) has a population of 750,000 or more; and
34	34	(3) is adjacent to two or more counties each of which
35	35	has a population of 50,000 or more.
36	36	SECTION 2. Section 421.0025, Government Code, is
37	37	transferred to Subchapter B, Chapter 421, Government Code,
38	38	redesignated as Section 421.0255, Government Code, and amended to
39	39	read as follows:
40	40	Sec. 421.0255 [421.0025]. BORDER SECURITY ADVISORY
41	41	COUNCIL. (a) The Border Security Advisory Council consists of:
42	42	(1) the executive head of each state agency receiving
43	43	state appropriations for purposes related to security at or near
44	44	this state's international border, or the executive head's
45	45	designee;
46	46	(2) representatives of at least three local
47	47	governmental entities receiving local border security grant
48	48	funding from the Department of Public Safety, appointed by the
49	49	governor, or, if fewer than three entities receive that grant
50	50	funding, representatives of at least one-third of the entities that
51	51	receive that grant funding, appointed by the governor; and
52	52	(3) at least three mayors of municipalities in which
53	53	state appropriations for purposes related to security at or near
54	54	this state's international border are spent, appointed by the
55	55	governor, or representatives designated by those mayors [members
56	56	appointed by the governor].
57	57	[(a-1) At least one-third of the members appointed under
58	58	Subsection (a) must be residents of the Texas-Mexico border region,
59	59	as defined by Section 2056.002.]
60	60	(b) The Border Security Advisory Council shall develop and
61	61	recommend to the Homeland Security Council [office of the governor]
62	62	performance standards, reporting requirements, audit methods, and
63	63	other procedures to ensure that funds allocated [by the office of
64	64	the governor] for purposes related to security at or near this
65	65	state's international border are used properly and that the
66	66	recipients of the funds are accountable for the proper use of the
67	67	funds. The advisory council shall publish on the office of the
68	68	governor's website the recommendations made to the Homeland
69	69	Security Council under this subsection.
70	70	(c) The Border Security Advisory Council shall advise the
71	71	Homeland Security Council [office of the governor] regarding the
72	72	allocation of funds [by the office] for purposes related to
73	73	security at or near this state's international border.
74	74	Recommendations relating to the allocation of those funds must be
75	75	made by a majority of the members of the advisory council.
76	76	(d) The governor shall designate one member of the Border
77	77	Security Advisory Council as the chair. The chair shall arrange
78	78	meetings of the Border Security Advisory Council at times
79	79	determined by the members of the advisory council.
80	80	(e) The meetings of the Border Security Advisory Council are
81	81	subject to the requirements of Chapter 551 to the same extent as
82	82	similar meetings of the Public Safety Commission. The plans and
83	83	recommendations of the Border Security Advisory Council are subject
84	84	to the requirements of Chapter 552 to the same extent as similar
85	85	plans and recommendations of the Department of Public Safety of the
86	86	State of Texas.
87	87	(f) Service on the Border Security Advisory Council by a
88	88	state officer or employee or by an officer or employee of a local
89	89	government is an additional duty of the member's office or
90	90	employment.
91	91	SECTION 3. Section 421.026, Government Code, is amended to
92	92	read as follows:
93	93	Sec. 421.026. REPORT. The council shall annually submit to
94	94	the governor a report stating:
95	95	(1) the status and funding of state programs designed
96	96	to detect and deter homeland security emergencies, including the
97	97	status and funding of counterterrorism efforts;
98	98	(2) recommendations on actions to reduce threats to
99	99	homeland security, including threats related to terrorism; [and]
100	100	(3) recommendations for improving the alert,
101	101	response, and recovery capabilities of state and local agencies;
102	102	and
103	103	(4) an assessment of the performance of, reporting
104	104	requirements for, and allocation of state agency funding for this
105	105	state's border security activities.
106	106	SECTION 4. (a) The positions of the members of the Border
107	107	Security Council are abolished on the effective date of this Act.
108	108	(b) As soon as practicable on or after the effective date of
109	109	this Act, the governor shall appoint members of the Border Security
110	110	Advisory Council under Sections 421.0255(a)(2) and (3), Government
111	111	Code, as transferred, redesignated, and amended by this Act.
112	112	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.