| 1 | 1 | | 89R8822 BCH-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Huffman S.B. No. 2839 |
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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 training on de-escalation, crisis intervention, and |
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| 10 | 10 | | behavioral health for correctional officers and certain other |
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| 11 | 11 | | employees of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as the Jovian Motley Act. |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 2. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 15 | 15 | | adding Section 493.0325 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 493.0325. CORRECTIONAL OFFICER TRAINING ON |
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| 17 | 17 | | DE-ESCALATION, CRISIS INTERVENTION, AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (a) This section applies to: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) a correctional officer employed by the department; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) a department employee responsible for the direct |
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| 21 | 21 | | supervision of correctional officers described by Subdivision (1); |
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| 22 | 22 | | and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (3) any other department employee whose duties involve |
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| 24 | 24 | | contact with inmates. |
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| 25 | 25 | | (b) To facilitate interaction with inmates, the department |
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| 26 | 26 | | shall provide employees described by Subsection (a) training on: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques; |
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| 28 | 28 | | and |
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| 29 | 29 | | (2) behavioral health. |
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| 30 | 30 | | (c) The training described by Subsection (b)(1) must |
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| 31 | 31 | | include information regarding: |
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| 32 | 32 | | (1) effective communication; |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) employing alternatives to physical restraints; |
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| 34 | 34 | | and |
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| 35 | 35 | | (3) techniques for limiting the use of force resulting |
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| 36 | 36 | | in bodily injury. |
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| 37 | 37 | | (d) The training described by Subsection (b)(2) must |
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| 38 | 38 | | include information regarding: |
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| 39 | 39 | | (1) effective communication and intervention; |
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| 40 | 40 | | (2) increased awareness of persons with behavioral |
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| 41 | 41 | | health concerns, substance use disorders, or intellectual and |
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| 42 | 42 | | developmental disabilities; |
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| 43 | 43 | | (3) crisis recognition, prevention, and response; |
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| 44 | 44 | | (4) suicide risk and prevention; and |
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| 45 | 45 | | (5) access to employee assistance programs available |
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| 46 | 46 | | to correctional officers. |
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| 47 | 47 | | (e) The training required by this section must be included |
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| 48 | 48 | | in the department's preservice training for correctional officers |
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| 49 | 49 | | and completed annually by employees described by Subsection (a). |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 51 | 51 | | of this Act but not later than December 1, 2025, the Texas |
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| 52 | 52 | | Department of Criminal Justice shall make the training required by |
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| 53 | 53 | | Section 493.0325, Government Code, as added by this Act, available |
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| 54 | 54 | | to the employees described by Subsection (a) of that section. |
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| 55 | 55 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |
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