BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 1216

By: Paxton

Community Safety, Select

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, active and retired judicial officers have an easier path to acquire a handgun license, including a reduced application and license fee and a more expedited training course. Statutory probate court judges are currently not classified as active judicial officers for these purposes. S.B. 1216 seeks to remedy this issue.

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

S.B. 1216 amends the Government Code to make the handgun license application process for active and retired judicial officers available to a person serving as a judge of a statutory probate court or a visiting judge appointed to serve as the judge of a statutory county or probate court. The bill applies only to an offense committed on or after the bill's effective date and provides for the continuation of the law in effect before the bill's effective date for purposes of an offense, or any element thereof, that occurred before that date.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.