Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB5262 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R14308 MCK-D
2	2	By: Bumgarner H.B. No. 5262
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the criteria for awarding the Texas Purple Heart Medal.
8	8	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
9	9	SECTION 1. Section 437.355(a), Government Code, is amended
10	10	to read as follows:
11	11	(a) The governor or adjutant general, if delegated the
12	12	authority, may adopt policies and regulations relating to awarding:
13	13	(1) the Texas Purple Heart Medal, which shall be
14	14	awarded to a [service] member of the Texas military forces who:
15	15	(A) after September 11, 2001:
16	16	(i) was inducted into state active duty
17	17	[federal service from the Texas National Guard]; and
18	18	(ii) was wounded or killed in any action
19	19	against an enemy of the State of Texas [meets the criteria for an
20	20	award of the federal Purple Heart Medal]; or
21	21	(B) was wounded or killed at Fort Hood on
22	22	November 5, 2009;
23	23	(2) the Texas Superior Service Medal, which shall be
24	24	awarded to:
25	25	(A) a service member of the Texas military forces
26	26	who has:
27	27	(i) completed 30 or more years of honorable
28	28	state service or a combination of state and federal service; and
29	29	(ii) continually demonstrated superior
30	30	performance and service while assigned to key leadership positions
31	31	demanding responsibility; or
32	32	(B) a civilian who has contributed significant
33	33	service to the Texas military forces;
34	34	(3) the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal, which
35	35	shall be awarded to a member of the military forces of this state,
36	36	another state, or the United States for exceptionally outstanding
37	37	achievement or service to this state in performance of a duty of
38	38	great responsibility while serving with the Texas military forces
39	39	for whom the department receives a letter of recommendation for
40	40	award of the Lone Star Distinguished Service Medal that:
41	41	(A) gives an account of the exceptional
42	42	achievement or service; and
43	43	(B) includes facts and photographs, and extracts
44	44	from official documents to support and amplify the facts;
45	45	(4) the Texas Outstanding Service Medal, which shall
46	46	be awarded to a service member of the military forces of this state,
47	47	another state, or the United States who has performed service,
48	48	either individually or as a member of a crew, in a superior and
49	49	clearly outstanding manner;
50	50	(5) the Texas Humanitarian Service Medal, which shall
51	51	be awarded to a service member who:
52	52	(A) does not meet the criteria for an award of the
53	53	federal Humanitarian Service Medal;
54	54	(B) is a member of the Texas military forces; and
55	55	(C) while serving on state active duty or active
56	56	duty under state authority in accordance with Title 32, United
57	57	States Code, participates satisfactorily in defense support to a
58	58	mission under civilian authority to protect life or property during
59	59	or soon after a natural disaster or civil unrest in the state;
60	60	(6) the Texas Homeland Defense Service Medal, which
61	61	shall be awarded to a service member of the Texas military forces
62	62	who served:
63	63	(A) on or after September 11, 2001;
64	64	(B) on state active duty or active duty under
65	65	state authority in accordance with Title 32, United States Code;
66	66	and
67	67	(C) satisfactorily in defense support to a
68	68	mission in the state under civilian authority;
69	69	(7) the Federal Service Medal, which shall be awarded
70	70	to a service member who was inducted into federal service from the
71	71	Texas military forces between June 15, 1940, and January 1, 1946, or
72	72	after June 1, 1950, if the service was for more than 90 days;
73	73	(8) the Texas Combat Service Ribbon, which shall be
74	74	awarded to a service member of the Texas National Guard who served,
75	75	after September 11, 2001, in a hostile fire zone as designated by
76	76	the United States secretary of defense;
77	77	(9) the Texas Faithful Service Medal, which shall be
78	78	awarded to a member of the Texas military forces who has completed
79	79	five years of honorable service during which the service member has
80	80	shown fidelity to duty, efficient service, and great loyalty to
81	81	this state;
82	82	(10) the Texas Medal of Merit, which shall be awarded
83	83	to a member of the military forces of this state, another state, or
84	84	the United States who performs outstanding service or attains
85	85	extraordinary achievement, either individually or as a member of a
86	86	crew, in behalf of the state or United States;
87	87	(11) the Texas State Guard Service Medal, which shall
88	88	be awarded to a service member who completes three consecutive
89	89	years of honorable service in the Texas State Guard during which the
90	90	service member has shown fidelity to duty, efficient service, and
91	91	great loyalty to this state;
92	92	(12) the Texas Desert Shield/Desert Storm Campaign
93	93	Medal, which shall be awarded to a service member who was inducted
94	94	into federal service from the Texas National Guard after August 1,
95	95	1990, in support of Operation Desert Shield or Operation Desert
96	96	Storm, without regard to the place that the service member was
97	97	deployed while serving on active federal military duty;
98	98	(13) the Texas Iraqi Campaign Medal, which shall be
99	99	awarded to a service member who was inducted into federal service
100	100	from the Texas National Guard, without regard to the place that the
101	101	service member was deployed while serving on active federal
102	102	military duty, after:
103	103	(A) March 19, 2003, in support of Operation Iraqi
104	104	Freedom; or
105	105	(B) August 31, 2010, in support of Operation New
106	106	Dawn;
107	107	(14) the Texas Afghanistan Campaign Medal, which shall
108	108	be awarded to a service member who was inducted into federal service
109	109	from the Texas National Guard after October 6, 2001, in support of
110	110	Operation Enduring Freedom, without regard to the place that the
111	111	service member was deployed while serving on active federal
112	112	military duty;
113	113	(15) the Cold War Medal, which, subject to Subsection
114	114	(c), shall be awarded to a member of the military forces of this
115	115	state or the United States who:
116	116	(A) served between September 2, 1945, and
117	117	December 26, 1991; and
118	118	(B) was a resident of this state at the time the
119	119	service member entered military service; and
120	120	(16) the Texas Border Security and Support Service
121	121	Ribbon, which shall be awarded to a service member of the military
122	122	forces of this state, another state, or the United States who
123	123	served:
124	124	(A) on or after July 28, 2014;
125	125	(B) on state active duty or active duty under
126	126	state authority in accordance with Title 32, United States Code,
127	127	for at least 90 consecutive days, or in response to an emergency
128	128	activation; and
129	129	(C) honorably in support of operations under
130	130	civilian authority to secure this state's international border.
131	131	SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 437, Government Code, is
132	132	amended by adding Section 437.3551 to read as follows:
133	133	Sec. 437.3551. AWARDING OF TEXAS PURPLE HEART MEDAL. (a)
134	134	In this section:
135	135	(1) "Medical officer" means a physician who holds an
136	136	officer rank in the Texas military forces or a branch of the United
137	137	States armed forces.
138	138	(2) "Medical professional" means a physician or
139	139	physician extender.
140	140	(3) "Physician extender" means any health care
141	141	professional licensed to provide health care to a patient,
142	142	including a nurse practitioner or physician assistant.
143	143	(4) "Wound" means an injury to any part of the body
144	144	from an outside force or agent. A physical lesion is not required.
145	145	(b) To be eligible for the Texas Purple Heart Medal the
146	146	service member's wound must have been of such severity that it
147	147	required treatment, not merely examination, by:
148	148	(1) a medical officer; or
149	149	(2) a medical professional other than a medical
150	150	officer provided a medical officer includes a statement in the
151	151	service member's medical record that the severity of the wound was
152	152	such that it would have required treatment by a medical officer if
153	153	one had been available to provide treatment.
154	154	(c) The department shall review the service member's
155	155	medical records to confirm the member's eligibility for the Texas
156	156	Purple Heart Medal.
157	157	(d) A service member may be awarded only one Texas Purple
158	158	Heart Medal.
159	159	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.