Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB598 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R1242 MCK-F
2	2	By: Bell of Montgomery H.B. No. 598
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the provision of financial assistance to survivors of
10	10	certain members of the Texas military forces.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 615.003, Government Code, is amended to
13	13	read as follows:
14	14	Sec. 615.003. APPLICABILITY. This chapter applies only to
15	15	eligible survivors of the following individuals:
16	16	(1) an individual:
17	17	(A) elected, appointed, or employed as a peace
18	18	officer by the state or a political subdivision of the state under
19	19	Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or other law; or
20	20	(B) employed as a peace officer by a private
21	21	institution of higher education, including a private junior
22	22	college, that is located in this state under Section 51.212,
23	23	Education Code;
24	24	(2) a paid probation officer appointed by the director
25	25	of a community supervision and corrections department who has the
26	26	duties set out in Section 76.002 and the qualifications set out in
27	27	Section 76.005, or who was appointed in accordance with prior law;
28	28	(3) a parole officer employed by the Texas Department
29	29	of Criminal Justice who has the duties set out in Section 508.001
30	30	and the qualifications set out in Section 508.113 or in prior law;
31	31	(4) a paid jailer;
32	32	(5) a member of an organized police reserve or
33	33	auxiliary unit who regularly assists peace officers in enforcing
34	34	criminal laws;
35	35	(6) a member of the class of employees of the
36	36	correctional institutions division formally designated as
37	37	custodial personnel under Section 615.006 by the Texas Board of
38	38	Criminal Justice or its predecessor in function;
39	39	(7) a jailer or guard of a county jail who is appointed
40	40	by the sheriff and who:
41	41	(A) performs a security, custodial, or
42	42	supervisory function over the admittance, confinement, or
43	43	discharge of prisoners; and
44	44	(B) is certified by the Texas Commission on Law
45	45	Enforcement;
46	46	(8) a juvenile correctional employee of the Texas
47	47	Juvenile Justice Department;
48	48	(9) an employee of the Health and Human Services
49	49	Commission [Department of Aging and Disability Services or
50	50	Department of State Health Services] who:
51	51	(A) works at the commission's [department's]
52	52	maximum security unit; or
53	53	(B) performs on-site services for the Texas
54	54	Department of Criminal Justice;
55	55	(10) an individual who is employed by the state or a
56	56	political or legal subdivision and is subject to certification by
57	57	the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
58	58	(11) an individual employed by the state or a
59	59	political or legal subdivision whose principal duties are aircraft
60	60	crash and rescue fire fighting;
61	61	(12) a member of an organized volunteer fire-fighting
62	62	unit that:
63	63	(A) renders fire-fighting services without
64	64	remuneration; and
65	65	(B) conducts a minimum of two drills each month,
66	66	each two hours long;
67	67	(13) an individual who:
68	68	(A) performs emergency medical services or
69	69	operates an ambulance;
70	70	(B) is employed by a political subdivision of the
71	71	state or is an emergency medical services volunteer as defined by
72	72	Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code; and
73	73	(C) is qualified as an emergency care attendant
74	74	or at a higher level of training under Section 773.046, 773.047,
75	75	773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code;
76	76	(14) an individual who is employed or formally
77	77	designated as a chaplain for:
78	78	(A) an organized volunteer fire-fighting unit or
79	79	other fire department of this state or of a political subdivision of
80	80	this state;
81	81	(B) a law enforcement agency of this state or of a
82	82	political subdivision of this state; or
83	83	(C) the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
84	84	(15) an individual who is employed by the state or a
85	85	political subdivision of the state and who is considered by the
86	86	governmental employer to be a trainee for a position otherwise
87	87	described by this section;
88	88	(16) an individual who is employed by the Department
89	89	of Public Safety and, as certified by the director, is:
90	90	(A) deployed into the field in direct support of
91	91	a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative,
92	92	search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special
93	93	operations; and
94	94	(B) given a special assignment in direct support
95	95	of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction,
96	96	border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic
97	97	enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special
98	98	investigations; [or]
99	99	(17) an individual who is employed by the Parks and
100	100	Wildlife Department and, as certified by the executive director of
101	101	the Parks and Wildlife Department, is:
102	102	(A) deployed into the field in direct support of
103	103	a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative,
104	104	search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special
105	105	operations; and
106	106	(B) given a special assignment in direct support
107	107	of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction,
108	108	border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic
109	109	enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special
110	110	investigations; or
111	111	(18) a member of the Texas military forces who is on
112	112	state active duty, as those terms are defined by Section 437.001.
113	113	SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act relating to
114	114	the death of a member of the Texas military forces applies only in
115	115	relation to a death that occurs on or after the effective date of
116	116	this Act. Matters regarding eligibility, payment, and benefits
117	117	under Chapter 615, Government Code, in relation to a death that
118	118	occurs before the effective date of this Act are governed by the law
119	119	in effect on the date the death occurs, and the former law is
120	120	continued in effect for that purpose.
121	121	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.