BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1443

By: Lopez

County Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been reported that roughly one out of every 10 veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan have been arrested since returning home from deployment. There are concerns that jail staff may not be adequately trained to interact with these inmates, who often require additional care due to trauma resulting from their military service. H.B. 1443 seeks to ensure that veterans in the criminal justice system are treated with dignity and respect by requiring licensed county jailers to take a one-time training program on interacting with veterans in the criminal justice system.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1443 amends the Occupations Code to require the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to require a county jailer who has been licensed for more than one year to complete a one-time training program on interacting with veterans in the criminal justice system. The training requirement applies regardless of when a county jailer was licensed and a county jailer may complete the training program as an online course. The bill requires a county jailer who, as of the bill's effective date, has been licensed for more than one year to complete the training program not later than September 1, 2023.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.