1-1 By: Turner of Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.B. No. 1275
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 4, 1995;
1-3 May 5, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
1-4 Justice; May 22, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
1-5 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 22, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to apprehension specialists of the Texas Youth Commission
1-9 as peace officers.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Article 2.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, as
1-12 amended by Chapters 339, 695, and 912, Acts of the 73rd
1-13 Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, is amended to read as follows:
1-14 Art. 2.12. WHO ARE PEACE OFFICERS. The following are peace
1-15 officers:
1-16 (1) sheriffs and their deputies;
1-17 (2) constables and deputy constables;
1-18 (3) marshals or police officers of an incorporated
1-19 city, town, or village;
1-20 (4) rangers and officers commissioned by the Public
1-21 Safety Commission and the Director of the Department of Public
1-22 Safety;
1-23 (5) investigators of the district attorneys', criminal
1-24 district attorneys', and county attorneys' offices;
1-25 (6) law enforcement agents of the Texas Alcoholic
1-26 Beverage Commission;
1-27 (7) each member of an arson investigating unit
1-28 commissioned by a city, a county, or the state;
1-29 (8) officers commissioned under Section 21.483,
1-30 Education Code, or Subchapter E, Chapter 51, Education Code;
1-31 (9) officers commissioned by the General Services
1-32 Commission;
1-33 (10) law enforcement officers commissioned by the
1-34 Parks and Wildlife Commission;
1-35 (11) airport police officers commissioned by a city
1-36 with a population of more than one million, according to the most
1-37 recent federal census, that operates an airport that serves
1-38 commercial air carriers;
1-39 (12) airport security personnel commissioned as peace
1-40 officers by the governing body of any political subdivision of this
1-41 state, other than a city described by Subdivision (11), that
1-42 operates an airport that serves commercial air carriers;
1-43 (13) municipal park and recreational patrolmen and
1-44 security officers;
1-45 (14) security officers commissioned as peace officers
1-46 by the State Treasurer;
1-47 (15) officers commissioned by a water control and
1-48 improvement district under Section 51.132, Water Code;
1-49 (16) officers commissioned by a board of trustees
1-50 under Chapter 341, Acts of the 57th Legislature, Regular Session,
1-51 1961 (Article 1187f, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes);
1-52 (17) investigators commissioned by the Texas State
1-53 Board of Medical Examiners;
1-54 (18) officers commissioned by the board of managers of
1-55 the Dallas County Hospital District, the Tarrant County Hospital
1-56 District, or the Bexar County Hospital District under Section
1-57 281.057, Health and Safety Code;
1-58 (19) county park rangers commissioned under Subchapter
1-59 E, Chapter 351, Local Government Code;
1-60 (20) investigators employed by the Texas Racing
1-61 Commission;
1-62 (21) officers commissioned by the State Board of
1-63 Pharmacy;
1-64 (22) officers commissioned by the governing body of a
1-65 metropolitan rapid transit authority under Section 13, Chapter 141,
1-66 Acts of the 63rd Legislature, Regular Session, 1973 (Article 1118x,
1-67 Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes), or by a regional transportation
1-68 authority under Section 10, Chapter 683, Acts of the 66th
2-1 Legislature, Regular Session, 1979 (Article 1118y, Vernon's Texas
2-2 Civil Statutes);
2-3 (23) officers commissioned by the Texas High-Speed
2-4 Rail Authority;
2-5 (24) investigators commissioned by the attorney
2-6 general under Section 402.009, Government Code;
2-7 (25) security officers and investigators commissioned
2-8 as peace officers under Chapter 466, Government Code; <and>
2-9 (26) an officer employed by the Texas Department of
2-10 Health under Section 431.2471, Health and Safety Code;<.>
2-11 (27) <(26)> officers appointed by an appellate court
2-12 under Subchapter F, Chapter 53, Government Code;<.>
2-13 (28) <(26)> officers commissioned by the state fire
2-14 marshal under Chapter 417, Government Code; and
2-15 (29) apprehension specialists commissioned by the
2-16 Texas Youth Commission as officers under Section 61.0931, Human
2-17 Resources Code.
2-18 SECTION 2. Subchapter G, Chapter 61, Human Resources Code,
2-19 is amended by adding Section 61.0931 to read as follows:
2-20 Sec. 61.0931. APPREHENSION SPECIALISTS. (a) The commission
2-21 may employ and commission apprehension specialists as peace
2-22 officers for the purpose of apprehending a child under Section
2-23 61.093.
2-24 (b) Peace officers employed and commissioned under
2-25 Subsection (a) must be certified by the Commission on Law
2-26 Enforcement Officer Standards and Education under Chapter 415,
2-27 Government Code.
2-28 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the
2-29 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-30 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-31 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-32 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-33 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-34 passage, and it is so enacted.
2-35 * * * * *