| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to requirements for training regarding trauma for judges, |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | prosecuting attorneys, correctional officers, and law enforcement |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | officers. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 22, Government Code, is |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 22.1102 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 22.1102. JUDICIAL TRAINING RELATED TO TRAUMA. (a) The |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | court of criminal appeals shall assure that judicial training |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | related to trauma is provided. |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | (b) The court of criminal appeals shall adopt the rules |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | necessary to accomplish the purposes of this section. The rules |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | must require each district judge, judge of a statutory county |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | court, or judge of a county court to complete at least eight hours |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | of the training within the judge's first term of office and provide |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | a method for certification of completion of that training. The |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | training must be dedicated to issues related to trauma and the |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | impact of trauma to enable each judge to identify individuals who |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | have experienced traumatic events, minimize re-traumatization, and |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | refer those individuals to the appropriate medical or mental health |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | care professional for treatment. The rules must exempt from the |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | training requirement of this subsection each judge or judicial |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | officer who files an affidavit stating that the judge or judicial |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | officer does not hear any criminal cases. |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | (c) In adopting the rules, the court of criminal appeals may |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | consult with the supreme court and with professional groups and |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | associations in the state that have expertise in the subject matter |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | to obtain the recommendations of those groups or associations for |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | instruction content. |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 22, Government Code, is |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | amended by adding Section 22.1115 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | Sec. 22.1115. TRAINING FOR PROSECUTING ATTORNEYS RELATED TO |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | TRAUMA. The court of criminal appeals shall provide to prosecuting |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | attorneys training related to trauma and the impact of trauma to |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | enable each prosecuting attorney to identify individuals who have |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | experienced traumatic events, minimize re-traumatization, and |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | refer those individuals to the appropriate medical or mental health |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | care professional for treatment. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | adding Section 493.032 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | Sec. 493.032. TRAUMA-INFORMED TRAINING FOR CORRECTIONAL |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | OFFICERS. The department shall require each correctional officer |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | employed by the department to complete, during the officer's first |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | 24 months of service, not less than 8 hours of training related to |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | trauma and the impact of trauma to enable each officer to identify |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | inmates who have experienced traumatic events, minimize |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | re-traumatization, and refer those inmates to the appropriate |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | medical or mental health care professional for treatment. |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | SECTION 4. Section 1701.253, Occupations Code, is amended |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | by adding Subsection (p) to read as follows: |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | (p) As part of the minimum curriculum requirements, the |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | commission shall require each officer to complete not less than |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | eight hours of training related to trauma and the impact of trauma |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | to enable each officer to identify individuals who have experienced |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | traumatic events, minimize re-traumatization, and refer those |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | individuals to the appropriate medical or mental health care |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | professional for treatment. |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | SECTION 5. (a) Not later than December 1, 2019, the court |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | of criminal appeals shall adopt the rules necessary to provide the |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | training required by Section 22.1102, Government Code, as added by |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | this Act. |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | (b) A judge who is in office on the effective date of this |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | Act must complete the training required by Section 22.1102, |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than September 1, |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | 2020. |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 6. The court of criminal appeals shall make the |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | training described by Section 22.1115, Government Code, as added by |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | this Act, available to prosecuting attorneys not later than January |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | 1, 2020. |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | SECTION 7. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | make the training described by Section 493.032, Government Code, as |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | added by this Act, available to correctional officers not later |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | than January 1, 2020. |
|---|
| 79 | 79 | | SECTION 8. Not later than December 1, 2019, the Texas |
|---|
| 80 | 80 | | Commission on Law Enforcement shall establish the training program |
|---|
| 81 | 81 | | required by Section 1701.253(p), Occupations Code, as added by this |
|---|
| 82 | 82 | | Act. |
|---|
| 83 | 83 | | SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
|---|