Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3626 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R9670 JCG-D
2	2	By: Holt H.B. No. 3626
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to coroners, including certain state benefits and awards
10	10	and membership on the First Responder Advisory Council.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 421.041(b), Government Code, is amended
13	13	to read as follows:
14	14	(b) The council is composed of:
15	15	(1) one representative for each of the following
16	16	sectors of the state, appointed by the governor or the governor's
17	17	designee:
18	18	(A) law enforcement;
19	19	(B) firefighters;
20	20	(C) private first responders; [and]
21	21	(D) emergency medical services; and
22	22	(E) coroners, as represented by a justice of the
23	23	peace or medical examiner required to conduct inquests under
24	24	Chapter 49, Code of Criminal Procedure; and
25	25	(2) other members, as determined by the governor or
26	26	the governor's designee.
27	27	SECTION 2. Section 615.003, Government Code, is amended to
28	28	read as follows:
29	29	Sec. 615.003. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies only to
30	30	eligible survivors of the following individuals:
31	31	(1) an individual:
32	32	(A) elected, appointed, or employed as a peace
33	33	officer by the state or a political subdivision of the state under
34	34	Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or other law; or
35	35	(B) employed as a peace officer by a private
36	36	institution of higher education, including a private junior
37	37	college, that is located in this state under Section 51.212,
38	38	Education Code;
39	39	(2) a paid probation officer appointed by the director
40	40	of a community supervision and corrections department who has the
41	41	duties set out in Section 76.002 and the qualifications set out in
42	42	Section 76.005, or who was appointed in accordance with prior law;
43	43	(3) a parole officer employed by the Texas Department
44	44	of Criminal Justice who has the duties set out in Section 508.001
45	45	and the qualifications set out in Section 508.113 or in prior law;
46	46	(4) a paid jailer;
47	47	(5) a member of an organized police reserve or
48	48	auxiliary unit who regularly assists peace officers in enforcing
49	49	criminal laws;
50	50	(6) a member of the class of employees of the
51	51	correctional institutions division formally designated as
52	52	custodial personnel under Section 615.006 by the Texas Board of
53	53	Criminal Justice or its predecessor in function;
54	54	(7) a jailer or guard of a county jail who is appointed
55	55	by the sheriff and who:
56	56	(A) performs a security, custodial, or
57	57	supervisory function over the admittance, confinement, or
58	58	discharge of prisoners; and
59	59	(B) is certified by the Texas Commission on Law
60	60	Enforcement;
61	61	(8) a juvenile correctional employee of the Texas
62	62	Juvenile Justice Department;
63	63	(9) an employee of the Department of Aging and
64	64	Disability Services or Department of State Health Services who:
65	65	(A) works at the department's maximum security
66	66	unit; or
67	67	(B) performs on-site services for the Texas
68	68	Department of Criminal Justice;
69	69	(10) an individual who is employed by the state or a
70	70	political or legal subdivision and is subject to certification by
71	71	the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
72	72	(11) an individual employed by the state or a
73	73	political or legal subdivision whose principal duties are aircraft
74	74	crash and rescue fire fighting;
75	75	(12) a member of an organized volunteer fire-fighting
76	76	unit that:
77	77	(A) renders fire-fighting services without
78	78	remuneration; and
79	79	(B) conducts a minimum of two drills each month,
80	80	each two hours long;
81	81	(13) an individual who:
82	82	(A) performs emergency medical services or
83	83	operates an ambulance;
84	84	(B) is employed by a political subdivision of the
85	85	state or is an emergency medical services volunteer as defined by
86	86	Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code; and
87	87	(C) is qualified as an emergency care attendant
88	88	or at a higher level of training under Section 773.046, 773.047,
89	89	773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code;
90	90	(14) an individual who is employed or formally
91	91	designated as a chaplain for:
92	92	(A) an organized volunteer fire-fighting unit or
93	93	other fire department of this state or of a political subdivision of
94	94	this state;
95	95	(B) a law enforcement agency of this state or of a
96	96	political subdivision of this state; or
97	97	(C) the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
98	98	(15) an individual who is employed by the state or a
99	99	political subdivision of the state and who is considered by the
100	100	governmental employer to be a trainee for a position otherwise
101	101	described by this section;
102	102	(16) an individual who is employed by the Department
103	103	of Public Safety and, as certified by the director, is:
104	104	(A) deployed into the field in direct support of
105	105	a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative,
106	106	search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special
107	107	operations; and
108	108	(B) given a special assignment in direct support
109	109	of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction,
110	110	border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic
111	111	enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special
112	112	investigations; [or]
113	113	(17) an individual who is employed by the Parks and
114	114	Wildlife Department and, as certified by the executive director of
115	115	the Parks and Wildlife Department, is:
116	116	(A) deployed into the field in direct support of
117	117	a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative,
118	118	search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special
119	119	operations; and
120	120	(B) given a special assignment in direct support
121	121	of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction,
122	122	border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic
123	123	enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special
124	124	investigations; or
125	125	(18) a justice of the peace or medical examiner
126	126	required to conduct inquests under Chapter 49, Code of Criminal
127	127	Procedure, or a death investigator or employee who assists the
128	128	justice of the peace or medical examiner.
129	129	SECTION 3. Section 3106.001, Government Code, is amended by
130	130	amending Subdivision (1) and adding Subdivision (1-a) to read as
131	131	follows:
132	132	(1) "Coroner" means a justice of the peace or medical
133	133	examiner required to conduct inquests under Chapter 49, Code of
134	134	Criminal Procedure, or a death investigator or employee who assists
135	135	the justice of the peace or medical examiner.
136	136	(1-a) "Emergency medical first responder" means an
137	137	employee or volunteer of the state, a political subdivision, or an
138	138	emergency medical services provider who provides urgent on-site
139	139	medical care to the sick or injured.
140	140	SECTION 4. Chapter 3106, Government Code, is amended by
141	141	adding Section 3106.0045 to read as follows:
142	142	Sec. 3106.0045. CORONERS' STAR OF TEXAS AWARD. (a) The
143	143	Coroners' Star of Texas Award shall be awarded to:
144	144	(1) each coroner who is seriously injured in the line
145	145	of duty; and
146	146	(2) the surviving next of kin of each coroner who is
147	147	killed or sustains a fatal injury in the line of duty.
148	148	(b) The Coroners' Star of Texas Award Advisory Committee
149	149	shall advise the governor on the issuance, design, and presentation
150	150	of the Coroners' Star of Texas Award.
151	151	(c) The committee consists of three current or retired
152	152	coroners appointed by the governor.
153	153	SECTION 5. The change in law made by this Act to Chapter
154	154	615, Government Code, applies only in relation to a death that
155	155	occurs on or after the effective date of this Act. Matters
156	156	regarding eligibility, payment, and benefits under Chapter 615,
157	157	Government Code, in relation to a death that occurs before the
158	158	effective date of this Act are governed by the law in effect when
159	159	the death occurs, and the former law is continued in effect for that
160	160	purpose.
161	161	SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.