| 1 | 1 | | By: Landgraf H.B. No. 2892 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to establishment of the Texas Emergency Alert Management |
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| 7 | 7 | | System (TEAMS). |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 418, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Subchapter J to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SUBCHAPTER J. TEXAS EMERGENCY ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TEAMS) |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 418.270. DEFINITION. In this subchapter: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "alert management system" means the Texas |
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| 14 | 14 | | Emergency Alert Management System (TEAMS) established under this |
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| 15 | 15 | | subchapter. |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) "Chief" means the chief of the Texas Division of |
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| 17 | 17 | | Emergency Management appointed under Section 418.041. |
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| 18 | 18 | | Sec. 418.271. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TEXAS |
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| 19 | 19 | | ALERT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TEAMS). (a) Notwithstanding any other |
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| 20 | 20 | | law, the division has authority to manage all state emergency alert |
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| 21 | 21 | | systems. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (b) With the cooperation of the Department of Public Safety |
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| 23 | 23 | | of the State of Texas, the Texas Department of Transportation, the |
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| 24 | 24 | | Commission on State Emergency Communications, the Texas Commission |
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| 25 | 25 | | on Environmental Quality, the Health and Human Services Commission, |
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| 26 | 26 | | the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Public Utility |
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| 27 | 27 | | Commission of Texas, the Railroad Commission of Texas, the State |
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| 28 | 28 | | Office of Risk Management, the office of the governor, and other |
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| 29 | 29 | | appropriate agencies in this state, the division shall identify |
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| 30 | 30 | | potential threats of regional or statewide significance and develop |
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| 31 | 31 | | and implement a plan to alert the public by use of the Federal |
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| 32 | 32 | | Wireless Emergency Alert System in the event that the chief, |
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| 33 | 33 | | director of the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, |
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| 34 | 34 | | and a state elected official identify a need to alert Texans to an |
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| 35 | 35 | | imminent threat to public health or safety. |
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| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 418.272. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The chief is the |
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| 37 | 37 | | statewide coordinator of the alert management system. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (b) The division shall adopt rules and the chief shall issue |
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| 39 | 39 | | directives as necessary to ensure proper implementation of the |
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| 40 | 40 | | alert management system. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) The chief shall prescribe forms to use in requesting |
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| 42 | 42 | | activation of an alert regarding an emergency of statewide or |
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| 43 | 43 | | regional significance. |
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| 44 | 44 | | Sec. 418.273. DIVISION TO RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS. (a) The |
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| 45 | 45 | | division shall recruit public and commercial television and radio |
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| 46 | 46 | | broadcasters, mobile telephone service providers, private |
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| 47 | 47 | | commercial entities, state or local governmental entities, the |
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| 48 | 48 | | public, and other appropriate persons to assist in developing and |
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| 49 | 49 | | implementing the alert management system. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (b) The division may enter into agreements with |
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| 51 | 51 | | participants in the alert management system to provide necessary |
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| 52 | 52 | | support for the alert management system. |
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| 53 | 53 | | Sec. 418.274. ACTIVATION. (a) On the request of a state |
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| 54 | 54 | | elected official and a state agency official or law enforcement |
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| 55 | 55 | | agency, the chief shall immediately investigate the need to |
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| 56 | 56 | | activate a statewide or regional alert that is not otherwise |
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| 57 | 57 | | authorized by Chapter 411 or 418, Government Code and notify |
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| 58 | 58 | | appropriate participants in the alert system as established by rule |
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| 59 | 59 | | if the chief, director of the Department of Public Safety of the |
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| 60 | 60 | | State of Texas, and a state elected official determine there is an |
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| 61 | 61 | | imminent threat to public health or safety. |
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| 62 | 62 | | Sec. 418.275. STATE AGENCIES. (a) A state agency |
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| 63 | 63 | | participating in the alert system shall cooperate with the division |
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| 64 | 64 | | and assist in identifying potential threats and developing and |
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| 65 | 65 | | implementing the alert management system. |
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| 66 | 66 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 67 | 67 | | of this Act, the public safety director of the Department of Public |
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| 68 | 68 | | Safety of the State of Texas shall adopt rules and issue directives |
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| 69 | 69 | | necessary to implement Subchapter L-1, Chapter 411, Government |
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| 70 | 70 | | Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 71 | 71 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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