By Parker S.B. No. 339 Substitute the following for S.B. No. 339: By Parra C.S.S.B. No. 339 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the qualifications of sheriffs. 1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-4 SECTION 1. Subsection (c), Section 415.015, Government Code, 1-5 is amended to read as follows: 1-6 (c) This chapter does no affect a constable or other officer 1-7 or county jailer elected under the Texas Constitution before 1-8 September 1, 1985, and does not affect a person who held the office 1-9 of sheriff before January 1, 1994. 1-10 SECTION 2. Section 415.053, Government Code, is amended to 1-11 read as follows: 1-12 Sec. 415.053. Licensing of Certain Law Enforcement Officers 1-13 Elected Under Texas Constitution or Statute. An officer, including 1-14 a sheriff, elected under the Texas Constitution or a statute or 1-15 appointed to fill a vacancy in an elective office must be licensed 1-16 by the commission not later than two years after the date that the 1-17 officer takes office. The commission shall establish requirements 1-18 for licensing and for revocation, suspension, cancellations, or 1-19 denial of a license of such an officer. It is incompetency and a 1-20 ground for removal from office under Title 100, Revised Statutes, 1-21 or any other removal statute if an officer to whom this section 1-22 applies does not obtain the license by the required date or does 1-23 not remain licensed. 1-24 SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 85, Local Government Code, 2-1 is amended by adding Section 85.0011 to read as follows: 2-2 Sec. 85.0011. QUALIFICATIONS. A person is not eligible to 2-3 serve as sheriff unless the person: 2-4 (1) has a high school diploma or a high school equivalency 2-5 certificate; and 2-6 (2) is eligible to be licensed under Sections 415.058 and 2-7 415.059, Government Code. 2-8 SECTION 4. The change in law made by Section 85.0011, Local 2-9 Government Code, as added by this Act, applies only to a person 2-10 first elected or appointed to the office of sheriff on or after the 2-11 effective date of this Act. A person elected or appointed to the 2-12 office of sheriff before the effective date of this Act is covered, 2-13 for the remainder of the term for which the person was elected of 2-14 appointed, or for any subsequent term for which the person serves 2-15 as sheriff, by the law relating to qualifications and continuing 2-16 education in effect when the person was first elected or appointed, 2-17 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. 2-18 Changes made to Subchapter A, Chapter 85, Local Government Code, by 2-19 Section 85.0011, as added by this Act, do not apply to a person 2-20 first elected or appointed before the effective date of this Act. 2-21 SECTION 5. This Act takes effect on the date on which the 2-22 constitutional amendment proposed by Section 1, S.J.R. No. 18, 73rd 2-23 Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, takes effect. If that 2-24 amendment does not take effect, this Act has no effect. 2-25 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the 2-26 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-27 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-3 and that this Act take effect and be in force according to its 3-4 terms, and it is so enacted.