Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB1837 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R718 LHC-F
2	2	By: Guillen H.B. No. 1837
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the enforcement and prevention of offenses involving
10	10	the manufacture or delivery of controlled substances listed in
11	11	Penalty Group 1-B, law enforcement officer safety in handling those
12	12	substances, and the manufacture and proper use of opioid
13	13	antagonists.
14	14	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
15	15	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is
16	16	amended by adding Section 411.02098 to read as follows:
17	17	Sec. 411.02098. FENTANYL OFFENSES ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
18	18	PROGRAM. (a) The department, in coordination with local law
19	19	enforcement agencies, shall establish and administer a fentanyl
20	20	offenses enforcement training program for peace officers employed
21	21	by local law enforcement agencies that will prepare the officers
22	22	to:
23	23	(1) collaborate and cooperate with and assist any law
24	24	enforcement agency in the interdiction, investigation, and
25	25	prosecution of offenses under Section 481.1123, Health and Safety
26	26	Code; and
27	27	(2) collaborate and cooperate with and assist district
28	28	attorneys, county attorneys, the border prosecution unit, and other
29	29	prosecutors in the investigation and prosecution of allegations of
30	30	offenses under Section 481.1123, Health and Safety Code.
31	31	(b) The training program under Subsection (a) must include:
32	32	(1) information on:
33	33	(A) criminal activity related to a controlled
34	34	substance listed in Penalty Group 1-B under Section 481.1022,
35	35	Health and Safety Code, occurring along the Texas-Mexico border,
36	36	including manufacture and delivery of those controlled substances
37	37	carried out by cartels, transnational gangs, and other groups
38	38	engaged in organized criminal activity; and
39	39	(B) methods for identifying intrastate criminal
40	40	activity associated with the manufacture or delivery of a
41	41	controlled substance listed in Penalty Group 1-B under Section
42	42	481.1022, Health and Safety Code, and other organized criminal
43	43	activity related to those controlled substances; and
44	44	(2) best practices for:
45	45	(A) the investigation and prosecution of the
46	46	criminal activity described by Subdivision (1);
47	47	(B) the safest method, as determined by the
48	48	Health and Human Services Commission, for handling a controlled
49	49	substance listed in Penalty Group 1-B under Section 481.1022,
50	50	Health and Safety Code; and
51	51	(C) the proper use of an opioid antagonist, as
52	52	that term is defined by Section 483.101, Health and Safety Code.
53	53	SECTION 2. Subchapter H, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is
54	54	amended by adding Section 1701.360 to read as follows:
55	55	Sec. 1701.360. FENTANYL OFFENSES ENFORCEMENT TRAINING
56	56	PROGRAM. The commission may:
57	57	(1) recognize, or with the consent of the Department
58	58	of Public Safety administer or assist in administering, the
59	59	fentanyl offenses enforcement training program established under
60	60	Section 411.02098, Government Code, as a continuing education
61	61	program for officers; and
62	62	(2) credit an officer who successfully completes the
63	63	program described by Subdivision (1) with the appropriate number of
64	64	continuing education hours.
65	65	SECTION 3. (a) In this section, "opioid antagonist" has
66	66	the meaning assigned by Section 483.101, Health and Safety Code.
67	67	(b) The lethal opioid poisoning prevention task force is
68	68	established under this section to:
69	69	(1) compile data on criminal activity in the
70	70	Texas-Mexico border region related to the manufacture or delivery
71	71	of a controlled substance listed in Penalty Group 1-B under Section
72	72	481.1022, Health and Safety Code;
73	73	(2) develop best practices for:
74	74	(A) the investigation, interdiction, and
75	75	prosecution of criminal activity that constitutes an offense under
76	76	Section 481.1123, Health and Safety Code;
77	77	(B) the safe handling of a controlled substance
78	78	listed in Penalty Group 1-B under Section 481.1022, Health and
79	79	Safety Code; and
80	80	(C) the proper use of an opioid antagonist; and
81	81	(3) study methods to incentivize manufacturers of
82	82	opioid antagonists to increase production, particularly for opioid
83	83	antagonists to be used by law enforcement agencies of this state.
84	84	(c) The governor shall appoint to the task force:
85	85	(1) two members representing the Department of Public
86	86	Safety;
87	87	(2) two members representing the Health and Human
88	88	Services Commission; and
89	89	(3) two members representing the Texas Commission on
90	90	Law Enforcement.
91	91	(d) Not later than six months after the date the governor
92	92	appoints members to the task force, the task force shall submit to
93	93	the governor and the director of the Department of Public Safety a
94	94	report containing the data and best practices described by
95	95	Subsections (b)(1) and (2) of this section.
96	96	(e) Not later than December 1, 2026, the task force shall
97	97	submit a report to the legislature containing its findings
98	98	regarding the methods described by Subsection (b)(3) of this
99	99	section, including proposed legislation to increase the
100	100	manufacturing production of opioid antagonists.
101	101	(f) The task force established under this section is
102	102	abolished and this section expires January 1, 2027.
103	103	SECTION 4. As soon as practicable after the effective date
104	104	of this Act, the governor shall appoint the members of the task
105	105	force established by Section 3 of this Act.
106	106	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
107	107	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
108	108	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
109	109	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
110	110	Act takes effect September 1, 2025.