| 1 | 1 | | By: Lopez H.B. No. 474 |
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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 the creation of the Texas Veterans County Service |
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| 7 | 7 | | Officer Task Force. |
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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. Subchapter B, Chapter 434, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 434.040 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 434.040. TEXAS VETERANS COUNTY SERVICE OFFICER TASK |
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| 12 | 12 | | FORCE. (a) In this section: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Rural county" means a county with a population of |
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| 14 | 14 | | less than 200,000. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (2) "Task force" means the Texas Veterans County |
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| 16 | 16 | | Service Officer Task Force. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (3) "Urban county" means a county with a population of |
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| 18 | 18 | | 200,000 or more. |
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| 19 | 19 | | (b) The Texas Veterans County Service Officer Task Force is |
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| 20 | 20 | | established to study the impact and efficacy of officers in this |
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| 21 | 21 | | state. |
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| 22 | 22 | | (c) The task force is composed of the following nine |
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| 23 | 23 | | members: |
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| 24 | 24 | | (1) the chair of the House Committee on Defense and |
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| 25 | 25 | | Veterans' Affairs; |
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| 26 | 26 | | (2) the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran |
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| 27 | 27 | | Affairs and Border Security; |
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| 28 | 28 | | (3) a representative of the commission; |
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| 29 | 29 | | (4) the chair of the Veterans County Service Officer |
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| 30 | 30 | | Advisory Committee; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (5) a representative of the Texas Coalition of |
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| 32 | 32 | | Veterans Organizations; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (6) an officer representing a rural county selected by |
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| 34 | 34 | | the chair of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (7) an officer representing an urban county selected |
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| 36 | 36 | | by the chair of the House Committee on Defense and Veterans' |
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| 37 | 37 | | Affairs; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (8) an officer representing a rural county selected by |
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| 39 | 39 | | the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border |
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| 40 | 40 | | Security; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (9) an officer representing an urban county selected |
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| 42 | 42 | | by the chair of the Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border |
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| 43 | 43 | | Security. |
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| 44 | 44 | | (d) The chairs of the House Committee on Defense and |
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| 45 | 45 | | Veterans' Affairs and Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and |
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| 46 | 46 | | Border Security serve as co-chairs of the task force. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) A recommendation of the task force must be approved by a |
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| 48 | 48 | | majority vote of the members of the task force. |
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| 49 | 49 | | (f) Each member of the task force has one vote. |
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| 50 | 50 | | (g) The task force shall: |
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| 51 | 51 | | (1) examine the role and duties of officers in each |
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| 52 | 52 | | county; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (2) identify the regions of this state that are in need |
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| 54 | 54 | | of officers; and |
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| 55 | 55 | | (3) determine types and levels of support needed from |
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| 56 | 56 | | this state in order for officers to appropriately advocate for the |
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| 57 | 57 | | veterans served by the officers. |
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| 58 | 58 | | (h) Not later than December 1, 2022, the commission shall |
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| 59 | 59 | | prepare and submit a report based on recommendations of the task |
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| 60 | 60 | | force regarding the issues described in Subsection (g) to the |
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| 61 | 61 | | Senate Committee on Veteran Affairs and Border Security and House |
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| 62 | 62 | | Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs. The report must be |
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| 63 | 63 | | approved by a majority vote of the members of the task force. |
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| 64 | 64 | | (i) This section expires January 1, 2023. |
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| 65 | 65 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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