| 1 | 1 | | 89R14544 AJZ-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Darby H.B. No. 3035 |
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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 creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention |
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| 10 | 10 | | unit within the Department of Public Safety. |
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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 411, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 13 | 13 | | adding Subchapter C-1 to read as follows: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SUBCHAPTER C-1. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 411.035. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) "Oil and gas equipment" means machinery, drilling |
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| 17 | 17 | | equipment, welding equipment, pipe, fittings, pumps, vehicles, or |
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| 18 | 18 | | other equipment used in the drilling or maintenance of oil and gas |
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| 19 | 19 | | wells, in the production of oil and gas, or to transport petroleum |
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| 20 | 20 | | products. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (2) "Petroleum product" has the meaning assigned by |
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| 22 | 22 | | Section 31.19(a), Penal Code. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) "Unit" means the organized oilfield theft |
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| 24 | 24 | | prevention unit established under this subchapter. |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 411.036. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (a) The director shall create an organized oilfield theft |
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| 27 | 27 | | prevention unit to be operated by the department. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (b) The unit shall investigate and arrest individuals |
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| 29 | 29 | | determined to have committed an offense under: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) Section 31.19, Penal Code; or |
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| 31 | 31 | | (2) Section 31.03, Penal Code, if the unlawfully |
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| 32 | 32 | | appropriated property includes oil and gas equipment. |
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| 33 | 33 | | (c) The unit shall coordinate with federal, state, and local |
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| 34 | 34 | | law enforcement agencies, attorneys representing the state, the |
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| 35 | 35 | | Railroad Commission of Texas, and any person who is a victim of an |
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| 36 | 36 | | offense described by Subsection (b) as necessary to carry out the |
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| 37 | 37 | | duties of the unit. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (d) The director shall designate a command structure within |
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| 39 | 39 | | the department to supervise the operations of the unit. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (e) The director shall adopt rules, subject to commission |
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| 41 | 41 | | approval, as necessary for the control and general administration |
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| 42 | 42 | | of the unit, including rules: |
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| 43 | 43 | | (1) governing the procurement of facilities and |
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| 44 | 44 | | equipment for the unit; |
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| 45 | 45 | | (2) regarding required training for unit personnel; |
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| 46 | 46 | | and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (3) regarding working conditions of unit personnel. |
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| 48 | 48 | | Sec. 411.037. JURISDICTION; HEADQUARTERS. The unit has |
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| 49 | 49 | | statewide jurisdiction but shall operate primarily within the |
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| 50 | 50 | | designated region of the department that is adjacent to the |
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| 51 | 51 | | international border and contains the city of El Paso. The unit's |
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| 52 | 52 | | headquarters must be located in that region. |
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| 53 | 53 | | Sec. 411.038. UNIT DUTIES. The unit, together with the |
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| 54 | 54 | | department, shall: |
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| 55 | 55 | | (1) develop and deploy to local law enforcement |
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| 56 | 56 | | agencies specialized training, resources, and policing strategies |
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| 57 | 57 | | tailored to investigating and preventing offenses described by |
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| 58 | 58 | | Section 411.036(b); |
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| 59 | 59 | | (2) conduct public outreach and awareness initiatives |
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| 60 | 60 | | to educate industry professionals and communities regarding |
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| 61 | 61 | | offenses described by Section 411.036(b); and |
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| 62 | 62 | | (3) maintain a centralized database for tracking |
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| 63 | 63 | | offenses described by Section 411.036(b) and related criminal |
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| 64 | 64 | | enterprises. |
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| 65 | 65 | | Sec. 411.039. BIENNIAL REPORT. Not later than January 1 of |
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| 66 | 66 | | each odd-numbered year, the department shall prepare and submit to |
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| 67 | 67 | | the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of |
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| 68 | 68 | | representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature |
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| 69 | 69 | | with primary jurisdiction over natural resources or criminal |
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| 70 | 70 | | justice matters a written report that: |
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| 71 | 71 | | (1) summarizes the unit's activities and evaluates the |
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| 72 | 72 | | unit's effectiveness during the preceding two-year period, |
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| 73 | 73 | | including by providing statistics regarding any arrests made by the |
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| 74 | 74 | | unit and any prosecutions that resulted from those arrests or |
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| 75 | 75 | | assets that were recovered as a result of those arrests; and |
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| 76 | 76 | | (2) provides recommendations for legislative or |
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| 77 | 77 | | administrative action to improve the effectiveness of the unit. |
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| 78 | 78 | | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2025, the public |
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| 79 | 79 | | safety director of the Department of Public Safety of the State of |
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| 80 | 80 | | Texas shall adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter C-1, |
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| 81 | 81 | | Chapter 411, Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 82 | 82 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 83 | 83 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 84 | 84 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 85 | 85 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 86 | 86 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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