Texas 2017 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB4 House Committee Report / Bill

Filed 02/02/2025

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                    85R21913 SCL/ADM-D
 By: Perry, et al. S.B. No. 4
 (Geren, Workman)
 Substitute the following for S.B. No. 4:  No.


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the enforcement by campus police departments and
 certain local governmental entities of state and federal laws
 governing immigration and to related duties and liability of
 certain persons in the criminal justice system; providing a civil
 penalty; creating a criminal offense.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 ARTICLE 1. POLICIES OF  AND GRANT PROGRAMS FOR LOCAL ENTITIES AND
 CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENTS
 SECTION 1.01.  Chapter 752, Government Code, is amended by
 adding Subchapter C to read as follows:
 SUBCHAPTER C. ENFORCEMENT OF STATE AND FEDERAL IMMIGRATION LAWS BY
 LOCAL ENTITIES AND CAMPUS POLICE DEPARTMENTS
 Sec. 752.051.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
 (1)  "Campus police department" means a law enforcement
 agency of an institution of higher education.
 (2)  "Immigration laws" means the laws of this state or
 federal law relating to aliens, immigrants, or immigration,
 including the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
 Section 1101 et seq.).
 (3)  "Institution of higher education" means:
 (A)  an institution of higher education as defined
 by Section 61.003, Education Code; or
 (B)  a private or independent institution of
 higher education as defined by Section 61.003, Education Code.
 (4)  "Local entity" means:
 (A)  the governing body of a municipality, county,
 or special district or authority, subject to Section 752.052;
 (B)  a division, department, or other body,
 including a municipal police department or a sheriff's department,
 that is part of a municipality, county, or special district or
 authority, subject to Section 752.052; and
 (C)  an officer or employee, including a sheriff,
 municipal attorney, or county attorney, of a division, department,
 or other body described by Paragraph (B) whose primary duties
 involve the oversight or management of, or controlling the
 direction of, other officers or employees of the division,
 department, or other body.
 Sec. 752.052.  APPLICABILITY OF SUBCHAPTER. (a) This
 subchapter does not apply to a hospital or hospital district
 created under Subtitle C or D, Title 4, Health and Safety Code, a
 hospital owned or operated by an institution of higher education,
 or a hospital district created under a general or special law
 authorized by Article IX, Texas Constitution, to the extent that
 the hospital or hospital district is providing access to or
 delivering medical or health care services as required under the
 following applicable federal or state laws:
 (1)  42 U.S.C. Section 1395dd;
 (2)  42 U.S.C. Section 1396b(v);
 (3)  Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Health and Safety Code;
 (4)  Chapter 81, Health and Safety Code; and
 (5)  Section 311.022, Health and Safety Code.
 (b)  Subsection (a) excludes the application of this
 subchapter to a commissioned peace officer:
 (1)  employed by a hospital or hospital district during
 the officer's employment; or
 (2)  commissioned by a hospital or hospital district.
 (c)  This subchapter does not apply to a commissioned peace
 officer employed or contracted by a religious organization during
 the officer's employment with the organization or while the officer
 is performing the contract.
 (d)  This subchapter does not apply to a school district or
 open-enrollment charter school. This subchapter does not apply to
 the release of information contained in educational records of an
 educational agency or institution, except in conformity with the
 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (20 U.S.C.
 Section 1232g).
 (e)  This subchapter does not apply to the public health
 department of a local entity.
 Sec. 752.053.  POLICY REGARDING IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT.
 (a) A local entity or campus police department may not:
 (1)  adopt or enforce an ordinance, order, rule,
 policy, or other measure under which the entity or department
 prohibits the enforcement of immigration laws; or
 (2)  as demonstrated by pattern or practice, prohibit
 the enforcement of immigration laws.
 (b)  In compliance with Subsection (a), a local entity or
 campus police department may not have a pattern or practice of
 prohibiting persons who are employed by or otherwise under the
 direction or control of the entity or department from doing any of
 the following:
 (1)  inquiring into the immigration status of an
 arrested person;
 (2)  with respect to information, including
 information regarding a person's place of birth, relating to the
 immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any arrested person:
 (A)  sending the information to or requesting or
 receiving the information from United States Citizenship and
 Immigration Services or United States Immigration and Customs
 Enforcement;
 (B)  maintaining the information; or
 (C)  exchanging the information with another
 local entity or campus police department or a federal or state
 governmental entity;
 (3)  if requested by a federal immigration officer,
 assisting or cooperating with a federal immigration officer as
 reasonable and necessary, including providing enforcement
 assistance; or
 (4)  permitting a federal immigration officer to enter
 and conduct enforcement activities at a jail to enforce federal
 immigration laws.
 Sec. 752.054.  DISCRIMINATION PROHIBITED. A local entity,
 campus police department, or a person employed by or otherwise
 under the direction or control of the entity or department may not
 consider race, color, religion, language, or national origin while
 enforcing immigration laws except to the extent permitted by the
 United States Constitution or Texas Constitution.
 Sec. 752.055.  COMPLAINT; EQUITABLE RELIEF. (a) Any
 citizen residing in the jurisdiction of a local entity or any
 citizen enrolled at or employed by an institution of higher
 education may file a complaint with the attorney general if the
 person asserts facts supporting an allegation that the entity or
 the institution's campus police department has violated Section
 752.053. The citizen must include a sworn statement with the
 complaint stating that to the best of the citizen's knowledge, all
 of the facts asserted in the complaint are true and correct.
 (b)  If the attorney general determines that a complaint
 filed under Subsection (a) against a local entity or campus police
 department is valid, the attorney general may file a petition for a
 writ of mandamus or apply for other appropriate equitable relief in
 a district court in Travis County or in a county in which the
 principal office of the entity or department is located to compel
 the entity or department that is suspected of violating Section
 752.053 to comply with that section.  The attorney general may
 recover reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining relief under this
 subsection, including court costs, reasonable attorney's fees,
 investigative costs, witness fees, and deposition costs.
 (c)  An appeal of a suit brought under Subsection (b) is
 governed by the procedures for accelerated appeals in civil cases
 under the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.  The appellate court
 shall render its final order or judgment with the least possible
 delay.
 Sec. 752.056.  CIVIL PENALTY. (a) A local entity or campus
 police department that intentionally violates Section 752.053 is
 subject to a civil penalty in an amount:
 (1)  not less than $1,000 and not more than $1,500 for
 the first violation; and
 (2)  not less than $25,000 and not more than $25,500 for
 each subsequent violation.
 (b)  Each day of a continuing violation of Section 752.053
 constitutes a separate violation for the civil penalty under this
 section.
 (c)  The court that hears an action brought under Section
 752.055 against the local entity or campus police department shall
 determine the amount of the civil penalty under this section.
 (d)  A civil penalty collected under this section shall be
 deposited to the credit of the compensation to victims of crime fund
 established under Subchapter B, Chapter 56, Code of Criminal
 Procedure.
 (e)  Sovereign immunity of this state and governmental
 immunity of a county and municipality to suit is waived and
 abolished to the extent of liability created by this section.
 Sec. 752.057.  COMMUNITY OUTREACH POLICY. (a)  Each law
 enforcement agency that is subject to the requirements of this
 subchapter may adopt a written policy requiring the agency to
 perform community outreach activities to educate the public that a
 peace officer may not inquire into the immigration status of a
 victim of or witness to an alleged criminal offense unless, as
 provided by Article 2.13, Code of Criminal Procedure, the officer
 determines that the inquiry is necessary to:
 (1)  investigate the offense; or
 (2)  provide the victim or witness with information
 about federal visas designed to protect individuals providing
 assistance to law enforcement.
 (b)  A policy adopted under this section must include
 outreach to victims of:
 (1)  family violence, as that term is defined by
 Section 71.004, Family Code, including those receiving services at
 family violence centers under Chapter 51, Human Resources Code; and
 (2)  sexual assault, including those receiving
 services under a sexual assault program, as those terms are defined
 by Section 420.003.
 SECTION 1.02.  Subchapter A, Chapter 772, Government Code,
 is amended by adding Section 772.0073 to read as follows:
 Sec. 772.0073.  ENFORCEMENT OF IMMIGRATION LAW GRANT
 PROGRAM. (a) In this section:
 (1)  "Criminal justice division" means the criminal
 justice division established under Section 772.006.
 (2)  "Immigration detainer request" means a federal
 government request to a local entity to maintain temporary custody
 of an alien, including a United States Department of Homeland
 Security Form I-247 document or a similar or successor form.
 (3)  "Immigration laws" means the laws of this state or
 federal law relating to aliens, immigrants, or immigration,
 including the federal Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
 Section 1101 et seq.).
 (4)  "Local entity" means a municipality or county.
 (b)  The criminal justice division shall establish and
 administer a competitive grant program to provide financial
 assistance to local entities to offset costs related to:
 (1)  enforcing immigration laws; or
 (2)  complying with, honoring, or fulfilling
 immigration detainer requests.
 (c)  The criminal justice division shall establish:
 (1)  eligibility criteria for grant applicants;
 (2)  grant application procedures;
 (3)  criteria for evaluating grant applications and
 awarding grants;
 (4)  guidelines related to grant amounts; and
 (5)  procedures for monitoring the use of a grant
 awarded under this section and ensuring compliance with any
 conditions of the grant.
 (d)  The criminal justice division may use any revenue
 available for purposes of this section.
 ARTICLE 2.  DUTIES OF LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND JUDGES
 SECTION 2.01.  Chapter 2, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended by adding Article 2.251 to read as follows:
 Art. 2.251.  DUTIES RELATED TO IMMIGRATION DETAINER
 REQUESTS. (a)  A law enforcement agency that has custody of a
 person subject to an immigration detainer request issued by United
 States Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall:
 (1)  comply with, honor, and fulfill any request made
 in the detainer request provided by the federal government; and
 (2)  inform the person that the person is being held
 pursuant to an immigration detainer request issued by United States
 Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
 (b)  A law enforcement agency is not required to perform a
 duty imposed by Subsection (a) with respect to a person who has
 provided proof that the person is a citizen of the United States.
 SECTION 2.02.  Chapter 42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended by adding Article 42.039 to read as follows:
 Art. 42.039.  COMPLETION OF SENTENCE IN FEDERAL CUSTODY.
 (a) This article applies only to a criminal case in which:
 (1)  the judgment requires the defendant to be confined
 in a secure correctional facility; and
 (2)  the defendant is subject to an immigration
 detainer request.
 (b)  In a criminal case described by Subsection (a), the
 judge shall, at the time of pronouncement of a sentence of
 confinement, issue an order requiring the secure correctional
 facility in which the defendant is to be confined and all
 appropriate government officers, including a sheriff, a warden, or
 members of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, as appropriate, to
 require the defendant to serve in federal custody the final portion
 of the defendant's sentence, not to exceed a period of seven days,
 following the facility's or officer's determination that the change
 in the place of confinement will facilitate the seamless transfer
 of the defendant into federal custody. In the absence of an order
 issued under this subsection, a facility or officer acting under
 exigent circumstances may perform the transfer after making the
 determination described by this subsection. This subsection
 applies only if appropriate officers of the federal government
 consent to the transfer of the defendant into federal custody under
 the circumstances described by this subsection.
 (c)  If the applicable information described by Subsection
 (a)(2) is not available at the time sentence is pronounced in the
 case, the judge shall issue the order described by Subsection (b) as
 soon as the information becomes available. The judge retains
 jurisdiction for the purpose of issuing an order under this
 article.
 (d)  For purposes of this article, "secure correctional
 facility" has the meaning assigned by Section 1.07, Penal Code.
 ARTICLE 3. DEFENSE OF LOCAL ENTITIES BY ATTORNEY GENERAL
 SECTION 3.01.  Subchapter B, Chapter 402, Government Code,
 is amended by adding Section 402.0241 to read as follows:
 Sec. 402.0241.  DEFENSE OF LOCAL ENTITIES IN SUITS RELATED
 TO IMMIGRATION DETAINER REQUESTS. (a) In this section, "local
 entity" has the meaning assigned by Section 752.051.
 (b)  The attorney general shall defend a local entity in any
 action in any court if:
 (1)  the executive head or governing body, as
 applicable, of the local entity requests the attorney general's
 assistance in the defense; and
 (2)  the attorney general determines that the cause of
 action arises out of a claim involving the local entity's
 good-faith compliance with an immigration detainer request
 required by Article 2.251, Code of Criminal Procedure.
 (c)  If the attorney general defends a local entity under
 Subsection (b), the state is liable for the expenses, costs,
 judgment, or settlement of the claims arising out of the
 representation. The attorney general may settle or compromise any
 and all claims described by Subsection (b)(2). The state may not be
 liable for any expenses, costs, judgments, or settlements of any
 claims against a local entity not being represented by the attorney
 general under Subsection (b).
 ARTICLE 4.  SURETY BOND
 SECTION 4.01.  Article 17.16, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended by amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to
 read as follows:
 (a)  A surety may before forfeiture relieve the surety of the
 surety's undertaking by:
 (1)  surrendering the accused into the custody of the
 sheriff of the county where the prosecution is pending; or
 (2)  delivering to the sheriff of the county in which
 the prosecution is pending and to the office of the prosecuting
 attorney an affidavit stating that the accused is incarcerated in:
 (A)  federal custody, subject to Subsection
 (a-1);
 (B)  [in] the custody of any state;[,] or
 (C)  [in] any county of this state.
 (a-1)  For purposes of Subsection (a)(2), the surety may not
 be relieved of the surety's undertaking if the accused is in federal
 custody to determine whether the accused is lawfully present in the
 United States.
 ARTICLE 5. PROHIBITED CONDUCT BY SHERIFF OR CONSTABLE
 SECTION 5.01.  Section 87.031, Local Government Code, is
 amended by adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
 (c)  For purposes of Subsection (a), "a misdemeanor
 involving official misconduct" includes a misdemeanor under
 Section 39.07, Penal Code.
 SECTION 5.02.  Chapter 39, Penal Code, is amended by adding
 Section 39.07 to read as follows:
 Sec. 39.07.  FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH IMMIGRATION DETAINER
 REQUEST. (a) A person who is a sheriff, chief of police, or
 constable or a person who otherwise has primary authority for
 administering a jail commits an offense if the person:
 (1)  has custody of a person subject to an immigration
 detainer request issued by United States Immigration and Customs
 Enforcement; and
 (2)  knowingly fails to comply with the detainer
 request.
 (b)  An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor.
 (c)  It is an exception to the application of this section
 that the person who was subject to an immigration detainer request
 described by Subsection (a)(1) had previously provided proof that
 the person was a citizen of the United States.
 ARTICLE 6.  INQUIRY BY PEACE OFFICER REGARDING IMMIGRATION OR
 NATIONALITY OF CRIME VICTIM OR WITNESS
 SECTION 6.01.  Article 2.13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended by adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:
 (d)  Subject to Subsection (e), in the course of
 investigating an alleged criminal offense, a peace officer may
 inquire as to the nationality or immigration status of a victim of
 or witness to the offense only if the officer determines that the
 inquiry is necessary to:
 (1)  investigate the offense; or
 (2)  provide the victim or witness with information
 about federal visas designed to protect individuals providing
 assistance to law enforcement.
 (e)  Subsection (d) does not prevent a peace officer from:
 (1)  conducting a separate investigation of any other
 alleged criminal offense; or
 (2)  inquiring as to the nationality or immigration
 status of a victim of or witness to a criminal offense if the
 officer has probable cause to believe that the victim or witness has
 engaged in specific conduct constituting a separate criminal
 offense.
 ARTICLE 7.  SEVERABILITY AND EFFECTIVE DATE
 SECTION 7.01.  It is the intent of the legislature that every
 provision, section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or word
 in this Act, and every application of the provisions in this Act to
 each person or entity, are severable from each other.  If any
 application of any provision in this Act to any person, group of
 persons, or circumstances is found by a court to be invalid for any
 reason, the remaining applications of that provision to all other
 persons and circumstances shall be severed and may not be affected.
 SECTION 7.02.  This Act takes effect immediately if it
 receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
 house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
 If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
 effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.