Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1806 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R11460 EAS-F
2	2	By: Johnson S.B. No. 1806
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of the Task Force on Prevention and
8	8	Investigation of Violent Crime.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. TASK FORCE ON PREVENTION AND INVESTIGATION OF
11	11	VIOLENT CRIME. (a) The Task Force on Prevention and Investigation
12	12	of Violent Crime is established to evaluate the policies and
13	13	practices of law enforcement agencies and other entities related to
14	14	the prevention and investigation of violent crime.
15	15	(b) The task force is composed of the following 13 members:
16	16	(1) nine members appointed by the governor as follows:
17	17	(A) three members representing communities in
18	18	this state with chronically high levels of violent crime;
19	19	(B) two members with policy expertise in criminal
20	20	justice and representing public and private institutions of higher
21	21	education in this state;
22	22	(C) two members representing law enforcement
23	23	agencies from large municipalities in this state experiencing
24	24	elevated levels of violent crime; and
25	25	(D) two members representing entities that
26	26	operate systems that are used by law enforcement agencies and other
27	27	governmental agencies to prevent or investigate violent crime in
28	28	large municipalities in this state experiencing elevated levels of
29	29	violent crime;
30	30	(2) two members of the senate appointed by the
31	31	lieutenant governor; and
32	32	(3) two members of the house of representatives
33	33	appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.
34	34	(c) The governor shall designate a member of the task force
35	35	to serve as the presiding officer.
36	36	(d) The task force shall:
37	37	(1) receive reports and testimony from individuals,
38	38	state and local governmental agencies, community-based
39	39	organizations, and other public and private organizations
40	40	regarding the effectiveness of strategies currently used to prevent
41	41	and investigate violent crime in this state;
42	42	(2) identify effective policies, procedures, or
43	43	programs currently used in this state or in other states to prevent
44	44	and investigate violent crime; and
45	45	(3) develop policy and other recommendations for state
46	46	agencies and the legislature to improve the prevention and
47	47	investigation of violent crime in this state.
48	48	(e) In developing recommendations under Subsection (d)(3)
49	49	of this section, the task force shall:
50	50	(1) consider methods to improve relationships and
51	51	increase trust between law enforcement agencies and communities
52	52	with higher than average violent crime rates to encourage victims
53	53	and witnesses to report crimes and cooperate in law enforcement
54	54	investigations;
55	55	(2) identify best practices in successful criminal
56	56	investigations, including best practices with respect to:
57	57	(A) evidence collection and handling;
58	58	(B) forensics;
59	59	(C) witness and victim support;
60	60	(D) digital media evidence processing, including
61	61	the collection and review of video; and
62	62	(E) any other area of criminal investigation that
63	63	significantly impacts the ability of a law enforcement agency to
64	64	identify a suspect and the ability of the attorney representing the
65	65	state to obtain a conviction;
66	66	(3) evaluate the costs and benefits of proactive law
67	67	enforcement strategies;
68	68	(4) evaluate the effectiveness of 9-1-1 dispatch
69	69	systems throughout the state in delivering responses to calls
70	70	related to violent crime;
71	71	(5) facilitate cooperation and the ability to share
72	72	information among law enforcement agencies and public and private
73	73	entities;
74	74	(6) encourage the collection, sharing, public
75	75	dissemination, and effective use of data by law enforcement
76	76	agencies to improve their operations;
77	77	(7) evaluate ways to improve law enforcement trainings
78	78	and procedures to facilitate successful criminal investigations;
79	79	and
80	80	(8) consider strategies designed to improve
81	81	employment-related incentives for peace officers, including
82	82	promotions, and to improve procedures for disciplining peace
83	83	officers more effectively, including strategies that will:
84	84	(A) reward officers who display exceptional
85	85	skill at discharging law enforcement functions; and
86	86	(B) appropriately discipline officers who engage
87	87	in misconduct.
88	88	(f) The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas
89	89	shall provide reasonably necessary administrative and technical
90	90	support to the task force.
91	91	(g) Appointed members of the task force serve without
92	92	compensation and may not be reimbursed for travel or other expenses
93	93	incurred while conducting the business of the task force.
94	94	(h) The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas
95	95	may accept gifts, grants, or donations on behalf of the task force
96	96	to carry out the task force's duties under this Act.
97	97	(i) Chapter 2110, Government Code, does not apply to the
98	98	task force.
99	99	SECTION 2. REPORT. Not later than December 1, 2022, the
100	100	task force shall prepare and submit a report on the task force's
101	101	activities to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of
102	102	the house of representatives, and each standing committee of the
103	103	legislature having primary jurisdiction over criminal justice
104	104	matters. The report must include:
105	105	(1) the findings and recommendations of the task
106	106	force, including recommendations described by Section 1(d)(3) of
107	107	this Act; and
108	108	(2) other relevant information that the task force
109	109	considers appropriate.
110	110	SECTION 3. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS. As soon as practicable
111	111	after the effective date of this Act, the governor, lieutenant
112	112	governor, and speaker of the house of representatives shall appoint
113	113	the members of the task force as required by this Act.
114	114	SECTION 4. ABOLITION OF TASK FORCE. The task force is
115	115	abolished and this Act expires September 1, 2023.
116	116	SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
117	117	immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
118	118	elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
119	119	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
120	120	immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.