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Texas Senate Bill SB1320

Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1320 Compare Versions

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1-By: Sparks, Hagenbuch S.B. No. 1320
2-
3-
1+By: Sparks S.B. No. 1320
2+ (In the Senate - Filed February 14, 2025;
3+ February 28, 2025, read first time and referred to Committee on
4+ Criminal Justice; April 3, 2025, reported favorably by the
5+ following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 3, 2025, sent to printer.)
6+Click here to see the committee vote
47
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69 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
710 AN ACT
811 relating to the establishment of the organized oilfield theft
912 prevention unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety.
1013 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1114 SECTION 1. Chapter 411, Government Code, is amended by
1215 adding Subchapter C-1 to read as follows:
1316 SUBCHAPTER C-1. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT
1417 Sec. 411.035. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
15- (1) "Oil and gas equipment" means machinery, drilling
18+ (1) "Unit" means the organized oilfield theft
19+ prevention unit.
20+ (2) "Oil and gas equipment" means machinery, drilling
1621 equipment, welding equipment, pipe, fittings, pumps, vehicles, or
1722 other equipment used in the drilling or maintenance of oil and gas
1823 wells, in the production of oil and gas, or to transport petroleum
1924 products.
20- (2) "Petroleum product" has the meaning assigned by
25+ (3) "Petroleum product" has the meaning assigned by
2126 Section 31.19(a), Penal Code.
22- (3) "Unit" means the organized oilfield theft
23- prevention unit established under this subchapter.
27+ (4) "Organized oilfield theft" means any offense
28+ committed under:
29+ (A) Section 31.19, Penal Code; or
30+ (B) Section 31.03, Penal Code, when the
31+ unlawfully appropriated property contains oil and gas equipment.
2432 Sec. 411.036. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT.
2533 (a) The director shall create an organized oilfield theft
2634 prevention unit to be operated by the department.
27- (b) The unit may investigate and arrest individuals
28- determined to have committed an offense under:
35+ (b) The organized oilfield theft prevention unit shall
36+ investigate and arrest individuals determined to have committed an
37+ offense under:
2938 (1) Section 31.19, Penal Code; or
30- (2) Section 31.03, Penal Code, if the unlawfully
31- appropriated property includes oil and gas equipment.
39+ (2) Section 31.03, Penal Code, when the unlawfully
40+ appropriated property contains oil and gas equipment.
3241 (c) The unit shall coordinate with federal, state, and local
33- law enforcement agencies, attorneys representing the state, the
34- Railroad Commission of Texas, and any person who is a victim of an
35- offense described by Subsection (b) as necessary to carry out the
36- duties of the unit.
42+ law enforcement agencies, district attorneys, the Railroad
43+ Commission of Texas, and any persons or entities who are the victim
44+ of an offense described by Subsection (b) for the purposes of
45+ fulfilling the unit's duties under this subchapter.
3746 (d) The director shall designate a command structure within
38- the department to supervise the operations of the unit.
47+ the department to oversee the operations of the unit and ensure
48+ collaboration with all entities, as described by Subsection (c).
3949 (e) The director shall adopt rules, subject to commission
40- approval, as necessary for the control and general administration
41- of the unit, including rules:
42- (1) governing the procurement of facilities and
43- equipment for the unit;
44- (2) regarding required training for unit personnel;
45- and
46- (3) regarding working conditions of unit personnel.
47- Sec. 411.037. JURISDICTION; HEADQUARTERS. (a) The unit
48- has statewide jurisdiction but shall operate primarily within the
49- designated region of the department that is adjacent to the
50- international border and contains the city of El Paso. The unit's
51- headquarters must be located in that region.
52- (b) The department, subject to commission approval, may
53- establish in any department region one or more additional regional
54- offices of the unit to assist in the duties of the unit.
55- Sec. 411.038. UNIT DUTIES. The unit, together with the
56- department, shall:
57- (1) develop and deploy to local law enforcement
58- agencies specialized training, resources, and policing strategies
59- tailored to investigating and preventing offenses described by
60- Section 411.036(b);
50+ approval, considered necessary for the control and general
51+ administration of the unit, including rules governing the
52+ procurement of facilities and equipment for the unit and the
53+ training and working conditions for unit personnel.
54+ Sec. 411.037. PRIMARY JURISDICTION. The unit shall be
55+ headquartered and primarily operate in Region 4 of the department's
56+ designated regions.
57+ (b) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prevent the
58+ unit from carrying out the duties prescribed under this subchapter
59+ in the boundaries of another department designated region.
60+ Sec. 411.038. ADDITIONAL DUTIES. (a) In addition to the
61+ duties described under Sections 411.036(b) and (c), the unit, in
62+ conjunction with the department, shall:
63+ (1) develop and deploy specialized training,
64+ resources, policing strategies tailored to investigating and
65+ preventing organized oilfield theft to local law enforcement;
6166 (2) conduct public outreach and awareness initiatives
62- to educate industry professionals and communities regarding
63- offenses described by Section 411.036(b); and
67+ to educate industry professionals and communities on organized
68+ oilfield theft prevention; and
6469 (3) maintain a centralized database for tracking
65- offenses described by Section 411.036(b) and related criminal
70+ organized oilfield theft incidents and related criminal
6671 enterprises.
67- Sec. 411.039. BIENNIAL REPORT. Not later than January 1 of
68- each odd-numbered year, the department shall prepare and submit to
69- the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
70- representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature
71- with primary jurisdiction over natural resources or criminal
72- justice matters a written report that:
73- (1) summarizes the unit's activities and evaluates the
74- unit's effectiveness during the preceding two-year period,
75- including by providing statistics regarding any arrests made by the
76- unit and any prosecutions that resulted from those arrests or
77- assets that were recovered as a result of those arrests; and
78- (2) provides recommendations for legislative or
79- administrative action to improve the effectiveness of the unit.
80- SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2025, the public
81- safety director of the Department of Public Safety of the State of
82- Texas shall adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter C-1,
83- Chapter 411, Government Code, as added by this Act.
72+ Sec. 411.039. BIENNIAL REPORT. (a) No later than January
73+ 1 of each odd numbered year, the department shall submit a biennial
74+ report to the governor, lieutenant governor, speaker of the house,
75+ and all relevant legislative committees detailing:
76+ (1) the unit's activities and effectiveness, including
77+ statistics on the unit's arrests, prosecutions, and recovered
78+ assets; and
79+ (2) legislative or administrative recommendations to
80+ improve the efficacy of the unit.
81+ SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2025, the commission
82+ shall adopt all rules necessary to implement and administer this
83+ Act.
8484 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
8585 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
8686 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
8787 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
8888 Act takes effect September 1, 2025.
89+ * * * * *