| 1 | 1 | | 88R6230 SHH-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Burrows H.B. No. 892 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to a law enforcement agency accreditation grant program. |
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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 A, Chapter 772, Government Code, is |
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| 10 | 10 | | amended by adding Section 772.0079 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 772.0079. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY ACCREDITATION GRANT |
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| 12 | 12 | | PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "criminal justice division" means |
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| 13 | 13 | | the criminal justice division established under Section 772.006. |
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| 14 | 14 | | (b) This section applies only to a law enforcement agency |
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| 15 | 15 | | employing one or more peace officers described by Article 2.12(1), |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2), (3), (4), or (8), Code of Criminal Procedure. |
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| 17 | 17 | | (c) The criminal justice division shall establish and |
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| 18 | 18 | | administer a grant program to provide to each law enforcement |
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| 19 | 19 | | agency to which this section applies financial assistance for |
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| 20 | 20 | | purposes of becoming accredited or maintaining accreditation: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) through the Texas Police Chiefs Association Law |
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| 22 | 22 | | Enforcement Agency Best Practices Accreditation Program; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) by the Commission on Accreditation for Law |
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| 24 | 24 | | Enforcement Agencies, Inc.; |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) by the International Association of Campus Law |
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| 26 | 26 | | Enforcement Administrators; or |
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| 27 | 27 | | (4) by an association or organization designated by |
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| 28 | 28 | | the criminal justice division under Subsection (h). |
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| 29 | 29 | | (d) The amount of a grant awarded under this section may not |
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| 30 | 30 | | exceed $50,000. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (e) The criminal justice division shall establish: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) eligibility criteria for grant applicants; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) grant application procedures; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (3) guidelines relating to grant amounts; |
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| 35 | 35 | | (4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant |
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| 37 | 37 | | awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any |
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| 38 | 38 | | conditions of a grant; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (6) procedures for revoking a grant awarded under the |
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| 40 | 40 | | program if the law enforcement agency: |
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| 41 | 41 | | (A) is not accredited within the period specified |
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| 42 | 42 | | by the rules adopted under Subsection (i); or |
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| 43 | 43 | | (B) does not renew or otherwise maintain the |
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| 44 | 44 | | agency's accreditation. |
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| 45 | 45 | | (f) Not later than December 1 of each year, the criminal |
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| 46 | 46 | | justice division shall submit to the Legislative Budget Board a |
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| 47 | 47 | | report that provides the following information for the preceding |
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| 48 | 48 | | state fiscal year: |
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| 49 | 49 | | (1) the name of each law enforcement agency that |
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| 50 | 50 | | applied for a grant under this section; and |
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| 51 | 51 | | (2) the amount of money distributed to each law |
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| 52 | 52 | | enforcement agency that received a grant under this section. |
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| 53 | 53 | | (g) The criminal justice division may use any revenue |
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| 54 | 54 | | available for purposes of this section. |
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| 55 | 55 | | (h) The criminal justice division, with the assistance of |
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| 56 | 56 | | the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, shall periodically review |
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| 57 | 57 | | associations and organizations that establish standards of |
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| 58 | 58 | | practice for law enforcement agencies and that offer accreditation |
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| 59 | 59 | | to agencies that meet those standards. On a determination by the |
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| 60 | 60 | | criminal justice division that accreditation of law enforcement |
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| 61 | 61 | | agencies in this state by an association or organization would |
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| 62 | 62 | | benefit public safety, the commission may designate the association |
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| 63 | 63 | | or organization as an accrediting agency for purposes of Subsection |
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| 64 | 64 | | (c)(4). |
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| 65 | 65 | | (i) The criminal justice division shall adopt rules |
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| 66 | 66 | | requiring each law enforcement agency to which this section applies |
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| 67 | 67 | | to become accredited as described by Subsection (c). The rules must |
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| 68 | 68 | | require law enforcement agencies to become accredited as follows: |
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| 69 | 69 | | (1) not later than September 1, 2026, for law |
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| 70 | 70 | | enforcement agencies employing 50 or more peace officers; and |
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| 71 | 71 | | (2) not later than September 1, 2027, for law |
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| 72 | 72 | | enforcement agencies employing fewer than 50 peace officers. |
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| 73 | 73 | | (j) The criminal justice division shall implement a program |
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| 74 | 74 | | to assist eligible applicants in becoming accredited as required by |
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| 75 | 75 | | the rules adopted under Subsection (i). |
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| 76 | 76 | | (k) A law enforcement agency that receives a grant awarded |
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| 77 | 77 | | under the program annually shall report the agency's accreditation |
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| 78 | 78 | | status, including the applicable accrediting agency described by |
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| 79 | 79 | | Subsection (c)(1), (2), (3), or (4), to the Texas Commission on Law |
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| 80 | 80 | | Enforcement. |
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| 81 | 81 | | (l) The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement shall post on |
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| 82 | 82 | | the commission's Internet website a list of all law enforcement |
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| 83 | 83 | | agencies that are currently accredited as described by Subsection |
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| 84 | 84 | | (c). |
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| 85 | 85 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 86 | 86 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 87 | 87 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 88 | 88 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 89 | 89 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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