Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2007 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R7487 JCG-F
2	2	By: Reynolds H.B. No. 2007
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to peace officers and law enforcement agencies.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Chapter 180, Local Government Code, is amended
10	10	by adding Section 180.008 to read as follows:
11	11	Sec. 180.008. REQUIRED PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY EVENTS
12	12	FOR CERTAIN PEACE OFFICERS. (a) A law enforcement agency of a
13	13	municipality or county shall adopt a policy requiring a peace
14	14	officer to participate in at least eight hours of community events
15	15	in the municipality or county not later than the 60th day after the
16	16	date the peace officer begins employment with the agency.
17	17	(b) The law enforcement agency may grant extensions of the
18	18	period described by Subsection (a) based on reasonable grounds.
19	19	SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is
20	20	amended by adding Sections 1701.165 and 1701.166 to read as
21	21	follows:
22	22	Sec. 1701.165. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CERTAIN AGENCIES. (a) The
23	23	commission shall establish and administer a grant program through
24	24	which eligible municipalities and counties may apply for a grant to
25	25	provide increased compensation to peace officers employed by the
26	26	law enforcement agency of the municipality or county based on
27	27	criteria described by Subsection (b) and any additional criteria
28	28	the commission adopts by rule.
29	29	(b) In awarding grants under the grant program, the
30	30	commission shall consider the extent to which the peace officers
31	31	employed by the law enforcement agency of the applicant
32	32	municipality or county:
33	33	(1) hold bachelor's degrees or higher from an
34	34	institution of higher education or private or independent
35	35	institution of higher education, as those terms are defined by
36	36	Section 61.003, Education Code;
37	37	(2) reside in the applicable municipality or county;
38	38	and
39	39	(3) have received certificates of distinction under
40	40	Section 1701.4025.
41	41	(c) The commission may establish:
42	42	(1) additional eligibility criteria for grant
43	43	applicants;
44	44	(2) grant application procedures;
45	45	(3) guidelines relating to grant amounts;
46	46	(4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; and
47	47	(5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant
48	48	awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any
49	49	conditions of a grant.
50	50	(d) The commission may use any revenue available for
51	51	purposes of this section.
52	52	Sec. 1701.166. ANNUAL EVALUATION OF CERTAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT
53	53	AGENCIES. (a) The commission shall annually evaluate each law
54	54	enforcement agency of a municipality or county for professionalism
55	55	based on criteria described by Subsection (b) and any additional
56	56	criteria the commission adopts by rule.
57	57	(b) In conducting an evaluation of a law enforcement agency
58	58	under Subsection (a), the commission shall consider whether:
59	59	(1) at least half of the peace officers of the agency
60	60	reside in the applicable municipality or county;
61	61	(2) the peace officers of the agency in supervisory
62	62	positions hold bachelor's degrees or higher from an institution of
63	63	higher education or private or independent institution of higher
64	64	education, as those terms are defined by Section 61.003, Education
65	65	Code;
66	66	(3) the peace officers of the agency each perform 30 or
67	67	more hours of community service annually;
68	68	(4) the agency has a citizens academy or youth
69	69	enrichment program; and
70	70	(5) the peace officers of the agency are certified as
71	71	special officers for offenders with mental impairments under
72	72	Section 1701.404.
73	73	(c) The commission shall make available on the commission's
74	74	Internet website the results of the evaluations.
75	75	(d) The commission may establish and administer a grant
76	76	program and use any revenue available for purposes of this
77	77	subsection to award grants to agencies that receive positive
78	78	evaluations. The commission may adopt rules to administer the
79	79	grant program.
80	80	SECTION 3. Section 1701.253, Occupations Code, is amended
81	81	by adding Subsection (q) to read as follows:
82	82	(q) As part of the minimum curriculum requirements, the
83	83	commission shall require an officer to complete a training program
84	84	on implicit bias that consists of not less than eight hours of
85	85	training.
86	86	SECTION 4. Section 1701.351, Occupations Code, is amended
87	87	by adding Subsection (a-2) to read as follows:
88	88	(a-2) As part of the continuing education programs under
89	89	Subsection (a), a peace officer must complete a training and
90	90	education program developed by the commission that includes not
91	91	less than:
92	92	(1) four hours of training on implicit bias; and
93	93	(2) eight hours of training on de-escalation and
94	94	crisis intervention techniques.
95	95	SECTION 5. Subchapter I, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is
96	96	amended by adding Section 1701.4025 to read as follows:
97	97	Sec. 1701.4025. CERTIFICATE OF DISTINCTION FOR CERTAIN
98	98	ACHIEVEMENTS. (a) The commission shall issue a certificate of
99	99	distinction to an officer who:
100	100	(1) performs more than 40 hours of community service
101	101	during a continuing education training period described by Section
102	102	1701.351(a);
103	103	(2) completes more than 50 hours of continuing
104	104	education programs approved by the commission during a continuing
105	105	education training period described by Section 1701.351(a); or
106	106	(3) provides more than 25 hours of instruction in
107	107	continuing education programs approved by the commission in a
108	108	calendar year.
109	109	(b) The commission shall adopt rules for the administration
110	110	of this section, including rules for reporting community service
111	111	hours and hours providing instruction in continuing education
112	112	programs.
113	113	(c) The commission may use the employment records of an
114	114	employing law enforcement agency in determining whether an officer
115	115	qualifies for a certificate of distinction.
116	116	SECTION 6. Section 180.008, Local Government Code, as added
117	117	by this Act, applies only to a peace officer first employed on or
118	118	after the effective date of this Act.
119	119	SECTION 7. Not later than September 1, 2022, the Texas
120	120	Commission on Law Enforcement shall:
121	121	(1) begin conducting evaluations under Section
122	122	1701.166, Occupations Code, as added by this Act; and
123	123	(2) adopt rules necessary to implement that section.
124	124	SECTION 8. Section 1701.253(q), Occupations Code, as added
125	125	by this Act, applies only to a person who submits an application for
126	126	a peace officer license under Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, on or
127	127	after January 1, 2022. A person who submits an application for a
128	128	peace officer license under Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, before
129	129	January 1, 2022, is governed by the law in effect immediately before
130	130	the effective date of this Act, and the former law is continued in
131	131	effect for that purpose.
132	132	SECTION 9. Not later than January 1, 2022, the Texas
133	133	Commission on Law Enforcement shall develop the training and
134	134	education program required by and adopt rules necessary to
135	135	implement Section 1701.351(a-2), Occupations Code, as added by this
136	136	Act.
137	137	SECTION 10. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.