Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1389 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R5937 SCF-D
2	2	By: Garcia of Bexar H.B. No. 1389
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to a grant program for junior reserve officers' training
10	10	corps programs to provide military funeral honors for veterans.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 434, Government Code, is
13	13	amended by adding Section 434.0072 to read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 434.0072. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VETERAN FUNERAL SERVICES.
15	15	(a) In this section:
16	16	(1) "JROTC program" means a junior reserve officers'
17	17	training corps program for students in middle school, junior high
18	18	school, or high school established under 10 U.S.C. Section 2031.
19	19	(2) "Military funeral honors" means the services
20	20	described by 10 U.S.C. Sections 1491(b) and (c).
21	21	(3) "ROTC program" means a reserve officers' training
22	22	corps program established under 10 U.S.C. Section 2101.
23	23	(4) "Veteran" means a person who has served in:
24	24	(A) the army, navy, air force, coast guard, space
25	25	force, or marine corps of the United States; or
26	26	(B) the Texas National Guard or Texas State Guard
27	27	as defined by Section 437.001.
28	28	(b) The commission shall establish a grant program for JROTC
29	29	programs to provide military funeral honors at veteran funeral
30	30	services.
31	31	(c) A JROTC program may receive training on the requirements
32	32	and performance of military funeral honors at veteran funeral
33	33	services from a local organization with the training necessary to
34	34	perform military funeral honors, including:
35	35	(1) an ROTC program;
36	36	(2) a military honor guard;
37	37	(3) a Veterans of Foreign Wars post;
38	38	(4) a law enforcement agency;
39	39	(5) a fire department; or
40	40	(6) another nonprofit organization composed or in
41	41	service of veterans and qualified to provide training on the
42	42	requirements and performance of military funeral honors.
43	43	(d) To be eligible for a grant under this section, a JROTC
44	44	program must submit an application on the form the commission
45	45	prescribes. The commission shall post the application form on the
46	46	commission's publicly available Internet website. An application
47	47	for a grant under this section must include:
48	48	(1) the name of the local organization that trained
49	49	the JROTC program in the performance of military funeral honors at
50	50	veteran funeral services or, if the JROTC program was unable to
51	51	obtain training from a local organization, the names of the
52	52	organizations from which the JROTC program obtained training;
53	53	(2) a detailed plan for use of the grant money awarded
54	54	under this section, including for a JROTC program that intends to
55	55	purchase air rifles, details on whether the program is authorized
56	56	to purchase the air rifles and a plan for the safe use and storage of
57	57	the air rifles; and
58	58	(3) for a JROTC program awarded a grant in a preceding
59	59	school year, an explanation of the items purchased using grant
60	60	money from the preceding year that the JROTC program will continue
61	61	to use if awarded another grant.
62	62	(e) A JROTC program awarded a grant under this section shall
63	63	collaborate with community organizations to spread awareness among
64	64	veterans and veteran families of the program's availability to
65	65	perform military funeral honors in the community.
66	66	(f) Grant money awarded under this section may be used for:
67	67	(1) uniforms;
68	68	(2) air rifles, if:
69	69	(A) the school district in which the JROTC
70	70	program is located approves the purchase and use of air rifles; and
71	71	(B) the JROTC program includes in the grant
72	72	application a safe storage and use plan approved by the school
73	73	district;
74	74	(3) American flags in a size approved for providing
75	75	military funeral honors, if a flag has not been provided to a
76	76	veteran's family free of charge;
77	77	(4) bugles;
78	78	(5) audio recordings of and equipment to play TAPS; or
79	79	(6) tuition and fees for a JROTC program instructor to
80	80	enroll in a training course offered by an honor guard academy, if
81	81	the program is unable to receive training from a local
82	82	organization.
83	83	(g) A grant awarded under this section may not exceed $3,500
84	84	per school year.
85	85	(h) The commission and the Veterans' Land Board may
86	86	publicize a JROTC program awarded a grant under this section as a
87	87	resource to perform military funeral honors at veteran funeral
88	88	services in the community in which the JROTC program is located and
89	89	the JROTC program shall make its best effort to perform military
90	90	funeral honors when requested.
91	91	(i) The commission may accept gifts, grants, and donations
92	92	from any source to administer the grant program established under
93	93	this section.
94	94	SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date
95	95	of this Act, the commission shall adopt rules to implement the grant
96	96	program established under Section 434.0072, Government Code, as
97	97	added by this Act.
98	98	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.