Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB958 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R2688 SCL-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 958
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to establishment of the Texas Active Shooter Alert System.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the "Leilah Hernandez
10	10	Act."
11	11	SECTION 2. Chapter 411, Government Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subchapter L-1 to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER L-1. TEXAS ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT SYSTEM
14	14	Sec. 411.371. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "alert
15	15	system" means the Texas Active Shooter Alert System established
16	16	under this subchapter.
17	17	Sec. 411.372. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALERT
18	18	SYSTEM. With the cooperation of the Texas Department of
19	19	Transportation, the office of the governor, and other appropriate
20	20	law enforcement agencies in this state, the department shall
21	21	develop and implement an alert system to be activated on report of
22	22	an active shooter.
23	23	Sec. 411.373. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The director is the
24	24	statewide coordinator of the alert system.
25	25	(b) The director shall adopt rules and issue directives as
26	26	necessary to ensure proper implementation of the alert system. The
27	27	rules and directives must include instructions on the procedures
28	28	for activating and deactivating the alert system.
29	29	(c) The director shall prescribe forms for local law
30	30	enforcement agencies to use in requesting activation of the alert
31	31	system.
32	32	Sec. 411.374. DEPARTMENT TO RECRUIT PARTICIPANTS. (a) The
33	33	department shall recruit public and commercial television and radio
34	34	broadcasters, mobile telephone service providers, private
35	35	commercial entities, state or local governmental entities, the
36	36	public, and other appropriate persons to assist in developing and
37	37	implementing the alert system.
38	38	(b) The department may enter into agreements with
39	39	participants in the alert system to provide necessary support for
40	40	the alert system.
41	41	Sec. 411.375. ACTIVATION. (a) On the request of a local law
42	42	enforcement agency regarding an active shooter, the department
43	43	shall activate the alert system in a 50-mile radius of the active
44	44	shooter's location and notify appropriate participants in the alert
45	45	system as established by rule if the local law enforcement agency:
46	46	(1) believes an active shooter is in the agency's
47	47	jurisdiction;
48	48	(2) determines an active shooter alert would assist
49	49	individuals near the active shooter's location;
50	50	(3) verifies the active shooter situation through a
51	51	preliminary investigation; and
52	52	(4) provides the department with the active shooter's
53	53	last known location and any identifiable information for the active
54	54	shooter.
55	55	(b) The department may modify the criteria described by
56	56	Subsection (a) as necessary for the proper implementation of the
57	57	alert system.
58	58	Sec. 411.376. LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. Before
59	59	requesting activation of the alert system, a local law enforcement
60	60	agency must verify that the criteria described by Section
61	61	411.375(a) have been satisfied. On verification of the applicable
62	62	criteria, the local law enforcement agency may immediately contact
63	63	the department to request activation and supply the necessary
64	64	information on forms prescribed by the director.
65	65	Sec. 411.377. STATE AGENCIES. (a) A state agency
66	66	participating in the alert system shall:
67	67	(1) cooperate with the department and assist in
68	68	developing and implementing the alert system; and
69	69	(2) establish a plan for providing relevant
70	70	information to its officers, investigators, or employees, as
71	71	appropriate, on activation of the alert system.
72	72	(b) In addition to its duties as a state agency under
73	73	Subsection (a), the Texas Department of Transportation shall
74	74	establish a plan for providing relevant information to the public
75	75	within 50 miles of an active shooter for which an alert has been
76	76	issued through an existing system of dynamic message signs located
77	77	across the state.
78	78	Sec. 411.378. TERMINATION. The director shall terminate
79	79	any activation of the alert system for a particular active shooter
80	80	if:
81	81	(1) the active shooter situation is resolved; or
82	82	(2) the director determines the alert system is no
83	83	longer an effective tool for providing relevant information to the
84	84	public about the active shooter.
85	85	SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date
86	86	of this Act, the public safety director of the Department of Public
87	87	Safety of the State of Texas shall adopt rules and issue directives
88	88	necessary to implement Subchapter L-1, Chapter 411, Government
89	89	Code, as added by this Act.
90	90	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.