| 1 | 1 | | 89R794 LRM-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: McLaughlin H.B. No. 2660 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 8 | 8 | | AN ACT |
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| 9 | 9 | | relating to the requirement to obtain certification and continuing |
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| 10 | 10 | | education for certain public information officers. |
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| 11 | 11 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 12 | 12 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 418, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Subchapter K to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SUBCHAPTER K. CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIRED FOR |
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| 15 | 15 | | CERTAIN PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 418.331. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "public |
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| 17 | 17 | | information officer" means an individual who is employed or |
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| 18 | 18 | | appointed by a state agency, local government entity, or |
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| 19 | 19 | | open-enrollment charter school and whose duties include |
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| 20 | 20 | | communicating with the public during a disaster regarding the |
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| 21 | 21 | | disaster. |
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| 22 | 22 | | Sec. 418.332. CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION |
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| 23 | 23 | | REQUIRED FOR CERTAIN PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICERS. Each of the |
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| 24 | 24 | | following entities shall employ or appoint a public information |
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| 25 | 25 | | officer who must obtain certification in emergency communications |
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| 26 | 26 | | from the division and complete continuing education on emergency |
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| 27 | 27 | | communications as provided by this subchapter: |
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| 28 | 28 | | (1) a municipality, including the municipal police |
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| 29 | 29 | | department; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (2) a county; |
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| 31 | 31 | | (3) a sheriff's office; |
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| 32 | 32 | | (4) an independent school district; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (5) an open-enrollment charter school; |
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| 34 | 34 | | (6) the department; and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (7) the division. |
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| 36 | 36 | | Sec. 418.333. CERTIFICATION AND CONTINUING EDUCATION. (a) |
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| 37 | 37 | | A public information officer described by Section 418.332 shall: |
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| 38 | 38 | | (1) obtain certification from the division in |
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| 39 | 39 | | emergency communications not later than the first anniversary of |
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| 40 | 40 | | the date the public information officer was hired or appointed; and |
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| 41 | 41 | | (2) complete a continuing education program on |
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| 42 | 42 | | emergency communications administered by the Federal Emergency |
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| 43 | 43 | | Management Agency and approved by the division twice during each |
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| 44 | 44 | | 12-month period beginning on the date the public information |
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| 45 | 45 | | officer obtained certification. |
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| 46 | 46 | | (b) The division shall establish minimum education and |
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| 47 | 47 | | training requirements for initial certification and continuing |
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| 48 | 48 | | education under this subchapter by designating courses approved by |
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| 49 | 49 | | the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These minimum |
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| 50 | 50 | | requirements must include courses provided by the Federal Emergency |
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| 51 | 51 | | Management Agency on: |
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| 52 | 52 | | (1) the National Incident Management System; |
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| 53 | 53 | | (2) the Incident Command System; and |
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| 54 | 54 | | (3) the basic skills and principles necessary to |
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| 55 | 55 | | fulfill the role of a public information officer with respect to |
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| 56 | 56 | | emergency communications. |
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| 57 | 57 | | (c) The division shall assist the entities subject to |
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| 58 | 58 | | Section 418.332 in identifying approved training programs. |
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| 59 | 59 | | Sec. 418.334. COMPLIANCE RECORDS; INSPECTION. (a) Each |
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| 60 | 60 | | entity subject to Section 418.332 shall: |
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| 61 | 61 | | (1) maintain records that demonstrate the compliance |
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| 62 | 62 | | of each public information officer employed or appointed by that |
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| 63 | 63 | | entity with the certification and continuing education |
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| 64 | 64 | | requirements of this subchapter; and |
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| 65 | 65 | | (2) permit inspection and copying by the division, |
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| 66 | 66 | | during reasonable hours and in a reasonable manner, of the |
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| 67 | 67 | | compliance records required to be maintained under Subdivision (1). |
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| 68 | 68 | | (b) The division shall permit inspection and copying by the |
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| 69 | 69 | | department of the compliance records the division maintains under |
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| 70 | 70 | | Subsection (a)(1) during reasonable hours and in a reasonable |
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| 71 | 71 | | manner. |
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| 72 | 72 | | Sec. 418.335. RULES. The division may adopt rules to |
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| 73 | 73 | | administer this subchapter. |
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| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 2. A public information officer described by |
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| 75 | 75 | | Section 418.332, Government Code, as added by this Act, who was |
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| 76 | 76 | | employed or appointed before the effective date of this Act, shall |
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| 77 | 77 | | obtain the certification required by Section 418.333, Government |
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| 78 | 78 | | Code, as added by this Act, not later than September 1, 2026. |
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| 79 | 79 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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