Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB488 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	By: Seliger, Perry S.B. No. 488
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed February 9, 2015; February 10, 2015,
3	3	read first time and referred to Committee on Veteran Affairs and
4	4	Military Installations; March 2, 2015, reported favorably by the
5	5	following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; March 2, 2015, sent to printer.)
6	6	Click here to see the committee vote
7	7
8	8
9	9	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	10	AN ACT
11	11	relating to the criteria for awarding the Texas Purple Heart Medal
12	12	to members of the armed forces wounded or killed at Fort Hood on
13	13	November 5, 2009.
14	14	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Section 437.355(a), Government Code, is amended
16	16	to read as follows:
17	17	(a) The governor or adjutant general, if delegated the
18	18	authority, may adopt policies and regulations relating to awarding:
19	19	(1) the Texas Purple Heart Medal, which shall be
20	20	awarded to a service member who:
21	21	(A) [,] after September 11, 2001:
22	22	(i) [(A)] was inducted into federal service
23	23	from the Texas National Guard; and
24	24	(ii) [(B)] meets the criteria for an award
25	25	of the federal Purple Heart Medal; or
26	26	(B) was wounded or killed at Fort Hood on
27	27	November 5, 2009;
28	28	(2) the Texas Superior Service Medal, which shall be
29	29	awarded to:
30	30	(A) a service member of the Texas military forces
31	31	who has:
32	32	(i) completed 30 or more years of honorable
33	33	state service or a combination of state and federal service; and
34	34	(ii) continually demonstrated superior
35	35	performance and service while assigned to key leadership positions
36	36	demanding responsibility; or
37	37	(B) a civilian who has contributed significant
38	38	service to the Texas military forces;
39	39	(3) the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal, which
40	40	shall be awarded to a member of the military forces of this state,
41	41	another state, or the United States for exceptionally outstanding
42	42	achievement or service to this state in performance of a duty of
43	43	great responsibility while serving with the Texas military forces
44	44	for whom the department receives a letter of recommendation for
45	45	award of the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal that:
46	46	(A) gives an account of the exceptional
47	47	achievement or service; and
48	48	(B) includes facts and photographs, and extracts
49	49	from official documents to support and amplify the facts;
50	50	(4) the Texas Outstanding Service Medal, which shall
51	51	be awarded to a service member of the military forces of this state,
52	52	another state, or the United States who has performed service in a
53	53	superior and clearly outstanding manner;
54	54	(5) the Texas Humanitarian Service Medal, which shall
55	55	be awarded to a service member who:
56	56	(A) does not meet the criteria for an award of the
57	57	federal Humanitarian Service Medal;
58	58	(B) is a member of the Texas military forces; and
59	59	(C) while serving on state active duty or active
60	60	duty under state authority in accordance with Title 32, United
61	61	States Code, participates satisfactorily in defense support to a
62	62	mission under civilian authority to protect life or property during
63	63	or soon after a natural disaster or civil unrest in the state;
64	64	(6) the Texas Homeland Defense Service Medal, which
65	65	shall be awarded to a service member of the Texas military forces
66	66	who served:
67	67	(A) on or after September 11, 2001;
68	68	(B) on state active duty or active duty under
69	69	state authority in accordance with Title 32, United States Code;
70	70	and
71	71	(C) satisfactorily in defense support to a
72	72	mission in the state under civilian authority;
73	73	(7) the Federal Service Medal, which shall be awarded
74	74	to a service member who was inducted into federal service from the
75	75	Texas military forces between June 15, 1940, and January 1, 1946, or
76	76	after June 1, 1950, if the service was for more than 90 days;
77	77	(8) the Texas Combat Service Ribbon, which shall be
78	78	awarded to a service member of the Texas National Guard who served,
79	79	after September 11, 2001, in a hostile fire zone as designated by
80	80	the United States secretary of defense;
81	81	(9) the Texas Faithful Service Medal, which shall be
82	82	awarded to a member of the Texas military forces who has completed
83	83	five years of honorable service during which the service member has
84	84	shown fidelity to duty, efficient service, and great loyalty to
85	85	this state;
86	86	(10) the Texas Medal of Merit, which shall be awarded
87	87	to a member of the military forces of this state, another state, or
88	88	the United States who performs outstanding service or attains
89	89	extraordinary achievement in behalf of the state or United States;
90	90	(11) the Texas State Guard Service Medal, which shall
91	91	be awarded to a service member who completes three consecutive
92	92	years of honorable service in the Texas State Guard during which the
93	93	service member has shown fidelity to duty, efficient service, and
94	94	great loyalty to this state;
95	95	(12) the Texas Desert Shield/Desert Storm Campaign
96	96	Medal, which shall be awarded to a service member who was inducted
97	97	into federal service from the Texas National Guard after August 1,
98	98	1990, in support of Operation Desert Shield or Operation Desert
99	99	Storm, without regard to the place that the service member was
100	100	deployed while serving on active federal military duty;
101	101	(13) the Texas Iraqi Campaign Medal, which shall be
102	102	awarded to a service member who was inducted into federal service
103	103	from the Texas National Guard, without regard to the place that the
104	104	service member was deployed while serving on active federal
105	105	military duty, after:
106	106	(A) March 19, 2003, in support of Operation Iraqi
107	107	Freedom; or
108	108	(B) August 31, 2010, in support of Operation New
109	109	Dawn; and
110	110	(14) the Texas Afghanistan Campaign Medal, which shall
111	111	be awarded to a service member who was inducted into federal service
112	112	from the Texas National Guard after October 6, 2001, in support of
113	113	Operation Enduring Freedom, without regard to the place that the
114	114	service member was deployed while serving on active federal
115	115	military duty.
116	116	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
117	117	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
118	118	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
119	119	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
120	120	Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
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