| 1 | 1 | | 87R8636 JCG-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Holland H.B. No. 3778 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a border operations training program for peace officers |
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| 8 | 8 | | employed by local law enforcement agencies. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
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| 11 | 11 | | amended by adding Section 411.02096 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 411.02096. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. (a) |
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| 13 | 13 | | The department, in coordination with local law enforcement |
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| 14 | 14 | | agencies, shall establish and administer a border operations |
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| 15 | 15 | | training program for peace officers employed by local law |
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| 16 | 16 | | enforcement agencies that will prepare the officers to: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) collaborate and cooperate with and assist any law |
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| 18 | 18 | | enforcement agency in the interdiction, investigation, and |
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| 19 | 19 | | prosecution of criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region; |
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| 20 | 20 | | and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) collaborate and cooperate with and assist district |
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| 22 | 22 | | attorneys, county attorneys, the border prosecution unit, and other |
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| 23 | 23 | | prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of allegations of |
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| 24 | 24 | | criminal activity in the Texas-Mexico border region. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) The training program under Subsection (a) must include: |
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| 26 | 26 | | (1) information on: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (A) criminal activity occurring along the |
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| 28 | 28 | | Texas-Mexico border, including drug trafficking and trafficking of |
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| 29 | 29 | | persons and other activity carried out by cartels, transnational |
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| 30 | 30 | | gangs, and other groups engaged in organized criminal activity; and |
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| 31 | 31 | | (B) methods for identifying northbound, |
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| 32 | 32 | | southbound, and intrastate criminal activity associated with drug |
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| 33 | 33 | | trafficking, trafficking of persons, and other organized criminal |
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| 34 | 34 | | activity; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (2) best practices for investigating and prosecuting |
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| 36 | 36 | | the criminal activity described by Subdivision (1) and securing the |
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| 37 | 37 | | Texas-Mexico border; and |
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| 38 | 38 | | (3) an overview of the department's operations at the |
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| 39 | 39 | | Texas-Mexico border, including any collaboration with the United |
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| 40 | 40 | | States Customs and Border Protection. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (c) The department shall identify opportunities for a peace |
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| 42 | 42 | | officer described by Subsection (a) to assist in the department's |
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| 43 | 43 | | duties related to border operations. The department may authorize |
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| 44 | 44 | | the officer to assist in carrying out those duties. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (d) A peace officer authorized by the department to assist |
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| 46 | 46 | | in carrying out duties related to the department's border |
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| 47 | 47 | | operations as described by Subsection (c) is not entitled to |
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| 48 | 48 | | compensation from the department for the assistance provided. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (e) The department may partner with federal agencies in |
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| 50 | 50 | | administering the training program under Subsection (a) and |
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| 51 | 51 | | facilitating any assistance provided by a peace officer under |
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| 52 | 52 | | Subsection (c). |
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| 53 | 53 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is |
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| 54 | 54 | | amended by adding Section 1701.359 to read as follows: |
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| 55 | 55 | | Sec. 1701.359. BORDER OPERATIONS TRAINING PROGRAM. The |
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| 56 | 56 | | commission may: |
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| 57 | 57 | | (1) recognize, or with the consent of the Department |
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| 58 | 58 | | of Public Safety administer or assist in administering, the border |
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| 59 | 59 | | operations training program established under Section 411.02096, |
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| 60 | 60 | | Government Code, as a continuing education program for officers; |
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| 61 | 61 | | and |
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| 62 | 62 | | (2) credit an officer who successfully completes the |
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| 63 | 63 | | program described by Subdivision (1) with the appropriate number of |
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| 64 | 64 | | continuing education hours. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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