BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 1960 By: Alexander 05-03-95 Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND Chapter 402, Health and Safety Code, establishes the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority to site, construct and operate a low-level radioactive waste disposal facility. Because of the nature of the Authority's activities, the agency will need professional personnel at the site to provide security and guarantee the safe operation of the disposal site. PURPOSE H.B. 1960 adds new provisions to the Health and Safety Code that will allow the Authority to commission peace officers for the disposal site and surrounding property. Peace officers will be fully trained and commissioned according to law to assist with security at the site. They will be authorized to make arrests, conduct searches, enforce traffic laws at the site, and perform other duties of peace officers. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Chapter 402, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 402.060 which allows the Authority to employ and commission peace officers. The peace officers' primary jurisdiction will include all property owned by the Authority, the disposal site, and any part of a public road that is contiguous to the property. Within their primary jurisdiction, peace officers are vested with all of the powers, privileges, and duties of a peace officer, including specifically the power the power to arrest and the power to enforce traffic laws on a person who violates a law of this state if the peace officer is asked by a law enforcement agency to provide assistance, or, if the peace officer is assisting a law enforcement agency. SECTION 2. Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to add peace officers of Authority to the statutory list of those persons who are authorized to be peace officers in Texas. SECTION 3. Emergency Clause. SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION H.B. 1960 was considered by the committee in a public hearing on April 26, 1995. The following person testified on the bill: Lee Mathews, representing the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Authority. The following person registered on the bill, but did not testify: Wayne Green, representing the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. The bill was reported favorably without amendment, with the recommendation that it do pass and be printed, by a record vote of 6 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, 3 absent.