HBA-DMD H.B. 1968 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1968 By: Van de Putte Public Safety 4/5/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE H.B. 1968 gives peace officers commissioned by hospital districts all the powers, privileges, and immunities of peace officers, and authorizes them to arrest without a warrant any person who violates a law of the state, including enforcement of all traffic laws on streets and highways. The bill also enables a peace officer to assist local law enforcement should the need arise. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 281.057, Health and Safety Code, as follows: Sec. 281.057. EMPLOYMENT OF DISTRICT PEACE OFFICERS. (a) Sets forth that the primary jurisdiction of a peace officer commissioned by the Dallas, Tarrant, or Bexar County Hospital District includes each county in which property is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the district that employs the peace officer. (b) Specifies that within the peace officer's primary jurisdiction, a peace officer commissioned under this section is vested with all the powers, privileges, and immunities of peace officers and authorizes the officer, in accordance with Chapter 14 (Arrest Without Warrant), Code of Criminal Procedure, to arrest without a warrant any person who violates a law of the state, and to enforce all traffic laws on streets and highways. (c) Provides that outside a peace officer's primary jurisdiction, a peace officer commissioned under this section is vested with all the powers, privileges, and immunities of peace officers and is authorized to arrest any person who violates any law of the state if the peace officer is summoned by another law enforcement agency to provide assistance, is assisting another law enforcement agency, or is otherwise performing duties as a peace officer for the district that employs the peace officer. (d) Provides that a person commissioned under this section must be a certified police officer under the requirements of the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education. Deletes the provisions which specifies the circumstances under which a district peace officer is authorized to make an arrest. SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3.Emergency clause.