H.B. No. 1062 AN ACT relating to the eligibility of certain 17-year-old persons to serve as members of the Texas State Guard. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Section 437.302, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as follows: (b) To serve in the Texas State Guard, a person: (1) must be a resident of this state for at least 180 days; (2) must be a citizen of the United States or a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.); (3) subject to Subsections [Subsection] (c) and (d), must be at least 17 [18] years of age and not older than 70 years of age; (4) must undergo a criminal history check; (5) must not be a registered sex offender; and (6) must be acceptable to and approved by the governor or adjutant general under the governor's direction. (d) A person who is at least 17 years of age but younger than 18 years of age may serve in the Texas State Guard if the person: (1) is emancipated by marriage, court order, or other operation of law; or (2) provides to the adjutant general, in a form and manner prescribed by the adjutant general, the written consent of: (A) each of the person's parents or legal guardians, other than a parent or legal guardian who is: (i) deceased; (ii) determined by a court to be incapacitated; (iii) absent at an unknown location for an indefinite period; or (iv) confined in jail or prison serving a term of punishment that will result in the parent or guardian being released after the person's 18th birthday; or (B) for a person who is in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services or another legal entity, a representative of the department or other legal entity. SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. ______________________________ ______________________________ President of the Senate Speaker of the House I certify that H.B. No. 1062 was passed by the House on April 23, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 146, Nays 0, 2 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House I certify that H.B. No. 1062 was passed by the Senate on May 21, 2021, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED: _____________________ Date _____________________ Governor