| 1 | 1 | | By: Guillen, Cain, Harris of Anderson, H.B. No. 2976 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | Hefner, Manuel, et al. |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | relating to an elective course on firearms safety for public high |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | school students and the designation of August as Firearm Safety |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | Awareness Month. |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 28, Education Code, is |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | amended by adding Section 28.0121 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Sec. 28.0121. FIREARMS SAFETY ELECTIVE COURSE. (a) A |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | school district or open-enrollment charter school that offers a |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | high school program may offer to students in high school an elective |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | course on firearms safety based on the curriculum guidelines |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | developed under Subsection (c). The course must meet the |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | requirements for a one-half elective credit under Section 28.025. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | (b) A school district or open-enrollment charter school may |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | not allow a student to enroll in an elective course offered by the |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | district or school under Subsection (a) unless the district or |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | school first obtains the written consent of the parent or person |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | standing in parental relation to the student. |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (c) The State Board of Education shall develop curriculum |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | guidelines for the elective course on firearms safety. The |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | curriculum guidelines must: |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | (1) focus on accident prevention; |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | (2) promote the safety and protection of students; |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | (3) emphasize how students should respond when |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | encountering a firearm; and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (4) include the information contained in the firearms |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | safety portion of a hunter education course under Section 62.014, |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | Parks and Wildlife Code. |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | (d) The State Board of Education shall develop a virtual |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | course on firearms safety that meets the requirements of an |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | elective course under Subsection (a) for a school district or |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | open-enrollment charter school to offer to high school students. |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (e) The State Board of Education shall make the virtual |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | course on firearms safety developed under Subsection (d) available |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | to: |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | (1) the agency; |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (2) the Parks and Wildlife Department; and |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | (3) the Department of Public Safety. |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | (f) Each entity described by Subsection (e) shall make the |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | virtual course on firearms safety available to the public free of |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | charge through the entity's Internet website. |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter D, Chapter 662, Government Code, is |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | amended by adding Section 662.116 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | Sec. 662.116. FIREARM SAFETY AWARENESS MONTH. (a) August |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | is Firearm Safety Awareness Month to increase awareness of firearm |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | safety and encourage community residents and leaders to discuss the |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | safe and responsible ownership, storage, and use of firearms for |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | recreational and defensive purposes and to promote voluntary and |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | collaborative methods that improve public safety. |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | (b) Firearm Safety Awareness Month may be regularly |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | observed through appropriate activities and programs in |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | communities to increase awareness of and instruction on the |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | responsible use of firearms. A firearms accident prevention |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | program may include animated videos, activity books, and other |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | instructional materials for community residents of all ages. |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | of this Act, the State Board of Education shall: |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | (1) develop the curriculum guidelines required under |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | Section 28.0121(c), Education Code, as added by this Act; and |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | (2) develop the virtual course on firearms safety |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | required under Section 28.0121(d), Education Code, as added by this |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | Act. |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | SECTION 4. Section 28.0121, Education Code, as added by |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | this Act, applies beginning with the 2024-2025 school year. |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
|---|