Texas 2023 88th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1868 Introduced / Bill

Filed 03/08/2023

                    88R13889 CJD-F
 By: Perry S.B. No. 1868


 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 AN ACT
 relating to the powers and duties of the office of inspector general
 of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department.
 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 SECTION 1.  Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended to read as follows:
 Art. 2.12.  WHO ARE PEACE OFFICERS.  The following are peace
 officers:
 (1)  sheriffs, their deputies, and those reserve
 deputies who hold a permanent peace officer license issued under
 Chapter 1701, Occupations Code;
 (2)  constables, deputy constables, and those reserve
 deputy constables who hold a permanent peace officer license issued
 under Chapter 1701, Occupations Code;
 (3)  marshals or police officers of an incorporated
 city, town, or village, and those reserve municipal police officers
 who hold a permanent peace officer license issued under Chapter
 1701, Occupations Code;
 (4)  rangers, officers, and members of the reserve
 officer corps commissioned by the Public Safety Commission and the
 Director of the Department of Public Safety;
 (5)  investigators of the district attorneys', criminal
 district attorneys', and county attorneys' offices;
 (6)  law enforcement agents of the Texas Alcoholic
 Beverage Commission;
 (7)  each member of an arson investigating unit
 commissioned by a city, a county, or the state;
 (8)  officers commissioned under Section 37.081,
 Education Code, or Subchapter E, Chapter 51, Education Code;
 (9)  officers commissioned by the General Services
 Commission;
 (10)  law enforcement officers commissioned by the
 Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (11)  officers commissioned under Chapter 23,
 Transportation Code;
 (12)  municipal park and recreational patrolmen and
 security officers;
 (13)  security officers and investigators commissioned
 as peace officers by the comptroller;
 (14)  officers commissioned by a water control and
 improvement district under Section 49.216, Water Code;
 (15)  officers commissioned by a board of trustees
 under Chapter 54, Transportation Code;
 (16)  investigators commissioned by the Texas Medical
 Board;
 (17)  officers commissioned by:
 (A)  the board of managers of the Dallas County
 Hospital District, the Tarrant County Hospital District, the Bexar
 County Hospital District, or the El Paso County Hospital District
 under Section 281.057, Health and Safety Code;
 (B)  the board of directors of the Ector County
 Hospital District under Section 1024.117, Special District Local
 Laws Code;
 (C)  the board of directors of the Midland County
 Hospital District of Midland County, Texas, under Section 1061.121,
 Special District Local Laws Code; and
 (D)  the board of hospital managers of the Lubbock
 County Hospital District of Lubbock County, Texas, under Section
 1053.113, Special District Local Laws Code;
 (18)  county park rangers commissioned under
 Subchapter E, Chapter 351, Local Government Code;
 (19)  investigators employed by the Texas Racing
 Commission;
 (20)  officers commissioned under Chapter 554,
 Occupations Code;
 (21)  officers commissioned by the governing body of a
 metropolitan rapid transit authority under Section 451.108,
 Transportation Code, or by a regional transportation authority
 under Section 452.110, Transportation Code;
 (22)  investigators commissioned by the attorney
 general under Section 402.009, Government Code;
 (23)  security officers and investigators commissioned
 as peace officers under Chapter 466, Government Code;
 (24)  officers appointed by an appellate court under
 Subchapter F, Chapter 53, Government Code;
 (25)  officers commissioned by the state fire marshal
 under Chapter 417, Government Code;
 (26)  an investigator commissioned by the commissioner
 of insurance under Section 701.104, Insurance Code;
 (27)  officers appointed by the chief inspector general
 of [apprehension specialists and inspectors general commissioned
 by] the Texas Juvenile Justice Department [as officers] under
 Section [Sections] 242.102 [and 243.052], Human Resources Code;
 (28)  officers appointed by the inspector general of
 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice under Section 493.019,
 Government Code;
 (29)  investigators commissioned by the Texas
 Commission on Law Enforcement under Section 1701.160, Occupations
 Code;
 (30)  commission investigators commissioned by the
 Texas Private Security Board under Section 1702.061, Occupations
 Code;
 (31)  the fire marshal and any officers, inspectors, or
 investigators commissioned by an emergency services district under
 Chapter 775, Health and Safety Code;
 (32)  officers commissioned by the State Board of
 Dental Examiners under Section 254.013, Occupations Code, subject
 to the limitations imposed by that section; and
 (33)  [investigators commissioned by the Texas
 Juvenile Justice Department as officers under Section 221.011,
 Human Resources Code; and
 [(34)]  the fire marshal and any related officers,
 inspectors, or investigators commissioned by a county under
 Subchapter B, Chapter 352, Local Government Code.
 SECTION 2.  Articles 18B.001(1) and (4), Code of Criminal
 Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
 (1)  "Authorized peace officer" means:
 (A)  a sheriff or deputy sheriff;
 (B)  a constable or deputy constable;
 (C)  a marshal or police officer of a
 municipality;
 (D)  a ranger or officer commissioned by the
 Public Safety Commission or the director of the department;
 (E)  an investigator of a prosecutor's office;
 (F)  a law enforcement agent of the Texas
 Alcoholic Beverage Commission;
 (G)  a law enforcement officer commissioned by the
 Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (H)  an enforcement officer appointed by the
 inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice under
 Section 493.019, Government Code;
 (I)  a law enforcement officer commissioned by the
 inspector general of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department;
 (J)  an investigator commissioned by the attorney
 general under Section 402.009, Government Code; or
 (K) [(J)]  a member of an arson investigating unit
 commissioned by a municipality, a county, or the state.
 (4)  "Designated law enforcement office or agency"
 means:
 (A)  the sheriff's department of a county with a
 population of 3.3 million or more;
 (B)  a police department in a municipality with a
 population of 200,000 or more; [or]
 (C)  the office of inspector general of the Texas
 Department of Criminal Justice; or
 (D)  the office of inspector general of the Texas
 Juvenile Justice Department.
 SECTION 3.  Article 18B.252(b), Code of Criminal Procedure,
 is amended to read as follows:
 (b)  If the director of the department or the director's
 designee approves the policy submitted under Article 18B.251, the
 inspector general of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or
 the inspector general's designee, the inspector general of the
 Texas Juvenile Justice Department or the inspector general's
 designee, or the sheriff or chief of a designated law enforcement
 agency or the sheriff's or chief's designee, as applicable, shall
 submit to the director a written list of all peace officers in the
 designated law enforcement office or agency who are authorized to
 possess, install, operate, or monitor pen registers, ESN readers,
 or similar equipment.
 SECTION 4.  Article 18B.302(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
 is amended to read as follows:
 (a)  The inspector general of the Texas Department of
 Criminal Justice, the inspector general of the Texas Juvenile
 Justice Department or the inspector general's designee, or the
 sheriff or chief of a designated law enforcement agency, as
 applicable, shall submit to the director of the department a
 written report of expenditures made by the designated law
 enforcement office or agency to purchase and maintain a pen
 register, ESN reader, or similar equipment authorized under this
 chapter.
 SECTION 5.  Article 18B.451, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended to read as follows:
 Art. 18B.451.  SUBPOENA AUTHORITY. The director of the
 department or the director's designee, the inspector general of the
 Texas Department of Criminal Justice or the inspector general's
 designee, the inspector general of the Texas Juvenile Justice
 Department or the inspector general's designee, or the sheriff or
 chief of a designated law enforcement agency or the sheriff's or
 chief's designee may issue an administrative subpoena to a
 communication common carrier or a provider of an electronic
 communications service to compel the production of any carrier's or
 service provider's business records that:
 (1)  disclose information about:
 (A)  the carrier's or service provider's
 customers; or
 (B)  users of the services offered by the carrier
 or service provider; and
 (2)  are material to a criminal investigation.
 SECTION 6.  Article 18B.452, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 amended to read as follows:
 Art. 18B.452.  REPORT OF ISSUANCE OF SUBPOENA. Not later
 than the 30th day after the date on which an administrative subpoena
 is issued under Article 18B.451, the inspector general of the Texas
 Department of Criminal Justice, the inspector general of the Texas
 Juvenile Justice Department or the inspector general's designee, or
 the sheriff or chief of a designated law enforcement agency, as
 applicable, shall report to the department the issuance of the
 subpoena.
 SECTION 7.  Section 659.301(5), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (5)  "State employee" means an individual who:
 (A)  is a commissioned law enforcement officer of
 the Department of Public Safety, the Texas Facilities Commission,
 the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Texas Department of
 Criminal Justice, the office of inspector general of the Texas
 Juvenile Justice Department, the attorney general, or the insurance
 fraud unit of the Texas Department of Insurance;
 (B)  is a commissioned security officer of the
 comptroller;
 (C)  is a law enforcement officer commissioned by
 the Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (D)  is a commissioned peace officer of an
 institution of higher education;
 (E)  is an employee or official of the Board of
 Pardons and Paroles or the parole division of the Texas Department
 of Criminal Justice if the employee or official has routine direct
 contact with inmates of any penal or correctional institution or
 with administratively released prisoners subject to the board's
 jurisdiction;
 (F)  has been certified to the Employees
 Retirement System of Texas under Section 815.505 as having begun
 employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial officer,
 unless the individual has been certified to the system as having
 ceased employment as a law enforcement officer or custodial
 officer;
 (G)  before May 29, 1987, received hazardous duty
 pay based on the terms of any state law if the individual holds a
 position designated under that law as eligible for the pay; or
 (H)  is a security officer employed by the Texas
 Military Department.
 SECTION 8.  Section 661.918(a), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (a)  This section applies to a peace officer under Article
 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, who is commissioned as a law
 enforcement officer or agent, including a ranger, by:
 (1)  the Public Safety Commission and the director of
 the Department of Public Safety;
 (2)  the Parks and Wildlife Commission;
 (3)  the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission;
 (4)  the attorney general; [or]
 (5)  the insurance fraud unit of the Texas Department
 of Insurance; or
 (6)  the office of inspector general of the Texas
 Juvenile Justice Department.
 SECTION 9.  Section 662.005(b), Government Code, is amended
 to read as follows:
 (b)  Except as provided by Section 662.010, and
 notwithstanding Section 659.015 or another law, a state employee
 who is a peace officer commissioned by a state officer or state
 agency listed under Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, or
 who is employed by the Department of Public Safety either to perform
 communications or dispatch services related to traffic law
 enforcement or as a public security officer, as that term is defined
 by Section 1701.001, Occupations Code, or who is employed by the
 Parks and Wildlife Department to perform communications and
 dispatch services to assist law enforcement officers commissioned
 by the Parks and Wildlife Commission in performing law enforcement
 duties, or who is employed by the office of inspector general of the
 Texas Juvenile Justice Department to perform communication service
 duties for the incident reporting center and to assist law
 enforcement officers commissioned by the office of inspector
 general for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department in performing
 investigative duties, or who is employed as a security officer
 providing security and entry searches for secure correctional
 facilities operated by the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, and
 who is required to work on a national or state holiday that falls on
 a Saturday or Sunday is entitled to compensatory time off at the
 rate of one hour for each hour worked on the holiday.
 SECTION 10.  Section 203.010, Human Resources Code, is
 amended to read as follows:
 Sec. 203.010.  COMPLAINTS. (a)  The office of inspector
 general of the department shall maintain a system to promptly and
 efficiently act on complaints received by the department by or on
 behalf of a juvenile relating to the programs, services, or
 facilities of the department or a local juvenile probation
 department.
 (b)  The office of inspector general [department] shall make
 information available describing its procedures for complaint
 investigation and resolution.
 (c)  Criminal complaints initially referred to the office of
 [the] inspector general relating to juvenile probation programs,
 services, or facilities shall be sent to the appropriate local law
 enforcement agency. The office of inspector general has concurrent
 jurisdiction on agreement with the local law enforcement agency to
 conduct a criminal investigation under Section 242.102. Any other
 complaint shall be referred to the appropriate division of the
 department. [The board by rule shall establish policies for the
 referral of noncriminal complaints.]
 (d)  The office of inspector general [department] shall
 provide immediate notice to a local juvenile probation department
 of a complaint received by the department relating to the programs,
 services, or facilities of the local juvenile probation department.
 (e)  The office of inspector general [department] shall
 periodically notify the complaint parties of the status of the
 complaint until final disposition, unless the notice would
 jeopardize an undercover investigation. If the complaint relates
 to a claim of abuse, neglect, or exploitation involving a local
 juvenile probation department, the office of inspector general
 [department] shall provide monthly updates on the status of the
 complaint and immediate updates regarding department decisions to
 the local juvenile probation department.
 (f)  The office of inspector general [department] shall keep
 information about each written complaint filed with the
 department.  The information must include:
 (1)  the subject matter of the complaint;
 (2)  the parties to the complaint;
 (3)  a summary of the results of the review or
 investigation of the complaint;
 (4)  the period of time between the date the complaint
 is received and the date the complaint is closed; and
 (5)  the disposition of the complaint.
 SECTION 11.  Section 203.014(c), Human Resources Code, is
 amended to read as follows:
 (c)  The office of inspector general shall operate the
 toll-free number required by Subsection (a) and the 24-hour
 incident reporting center and [department] shall share the
 complaints received with the appropriate department entity [on the
 toll-free number with the office of inspector general and the
 office of the independent ombudsman].
 SECTION 12.  Section 242.102, Human Resources Code, is
 amended by amending Subsections (a), (b), (c), (d), (g), and (h) and
 adding Subsections (a-1), (a-2), and (j) to read as follows:
 (a)  The office of inspector general is established at the
 department under the direction of the board as a law enforcement
 agency for the purpose of:
 (1)  preventing, detecting, and investigating:
 (A)  crimes committed by department employees,
 including parole officers employed by or under a contract with the
 department; and
 (B)  crimes and delinquent conduct committed at a
 facility operated by the department, a residential facility
 operated by another entity under a contract with the department, or
 any facility in which a child committed to the custody of the
 department is housed or receives medical or mental health
 treatment, including:
 (i)  unauthorized or illegal entry into a
 department facility;
 (ii)  the introduction of contraband into a
 department facility;
 (iii)  escape from a secure facility; and
 (iv)  organized criminal activity; [and]
 (2)  investigating complaints received under Section
 203.010 involving allegations of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of
 children in juvenile justice programs or facilities under Section
 261.405, Family Code;
 (3)  investigating complaints of abuse, neglect, or
 exploitation of:
 (A)  pre-adjudicated or post-adjudicated
 juveniles housed in public or private secure or non-secure
 facilities regardless of licensing entity; and
 (B)  juveniles committed to the department;
 (4)  apprehending juveniles after escape or violation
 of release conditions as described by Section 243.051;
 (5)  investigating gang-related activity within the
 juvenile justice system; and
 (6)  performing entry security and exterior perimeter
 security searches for a department-operated secure correctional
 facility, as defined by Section 51.02, Family Code.
 (a-1)  The office of inspector general has concurrent
 jurisdiction on agreement with the local law enforcement agency to
 conduct a criminal investigation under Subsection (a)(3).
 (a-2)  The office of inspector general shall operate the
 incident reporting center for the department under Section 203.014.
 (b)  The office of inspector general shall prepare and
 deliver an investigative [a] report concerning the results of
 investigations [any investigation] conducted under this section to
 the appropriate prosecutor or regulatory authority having
 jurisdiction, including:
 (1)  the department [board];
 (2)  the appropriate district or county attorney
 [executive director];
 (3)  [any applicable advisory board;
 [(4)  the governor;
 [(5)  the lieutenant governor;
 [(6)  the speaker of the house of representatives;
 [(7)  the standing committees of the senate and house
 of representatives with primary jurisdiction over matters
 concerning correctional facilities;
 [(8)]  the special prosecution unit;
 (4) [(9)]  the state auditor; and
 (5) [(10)]  any other appropriate state agency
 responsible for licensing or certifying department employees or
 facilities.
 (c)  The report prepared under Subsection (b) must include a
 summary of the actions performed by the office of inspector general
 in conducting the investigation, a statement of whether the
 investigation resulted in a finding that abuse, neglect, or
 exploitation, a criminal offense, or delinquent conduct occurred,
 and a description of the finding. The report is public information
 under Chapter 552, Government Code, only to the extent authorized
 under that chapter and other law.
 (d)  The office of inspector general may employ
 investigators, security officers, and commission inspectors
 general as peace officers for the purpose of carrying out the duties
 described by this section. An inspector general shall have all of
 the powers and duties given to peace officers under Article 2.13,
 Code of Criminal Procedure.
 (g)  The chief inspector general shall on a quarterly basis
 prepare and deliver a report concerning the operations of the
 office of inspector general to:
 (1)  the board;
 (2)  the executive director;
 (3)  any applicable advisory board;
 (4)  the governor;
 (5)  the lieutenant governor;
 (6)  the speaker of the house of representatives;
 (7)  the standing committees of the senate and house of
 representatives with primary jurisdiction over correctional
 facilities;
 (8)  the state auditor; [and]
 (9)  the comptroller; and
 (10)  the special prosecution unit.
 (h)  A report prepared under Subsection (g) is public
 information under Chapter 552, Government Code, to the extent
 authorized under that chapter and other law, and the department
 shall publish the report on the department's Internet website. A
 report must be both aggregated and disaggregated by individual
 facility and include information relating to:
 (1)  the types of investigations conducted by the
 office of inspector general, such as whether an investigation
 concerned narcotics or an alleged incident of sexual abuse;
 (2)  the relationship of a victim to a perpetrator, if
 applicable; [and]
 (3)  the number of investigations conducted concerning
 suicides, deaths, and hospitalizations of children in the custody
 of the department at secure facilities, on parole, or at other
 placement locations; and
 (4)  the final disposition of any complaint received
 under Section 203.010 related to juvenile probation departments and
 Section 261.405, Family Code, that concerns the abuse, neglect, or
 exploitation of a juvenile.
 (j)  The department shall ensure that a peace officer
 commissioned under Subsection (g) is compensated according to
 Schedule C of the position classification salary schedule
 prescribed by the General Appropriations Act.
 SECTION 13.  Sections 221.011, 221.055, and 243.052, Human
 Resources Code, are repealed.
 SECTION 14.  (a)  The classification officer in the office
 of the state auditor shall classify the position of commissioned
 peace officer employed by the office of inspector general of the
 Texas Juvenile Justice Department as a Schedule C position under
 the Texas Position Classification Plan.
 (b)  The change made by the classification officer as
 required by this section applies beginning with the state fiscal
 biennium beginning September 1, 2023.
 (c)  This section expires September 1, 2025.
 SECTION 15.  Section 661.918(a), Government Code, as amended
 by this Act, applies only to an injury that occurs on or after the
 effective date of this Act.
 SECTION 16.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.