By Bernsen                                             S.B. No. 262
         77R1778 ATP-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to critical incident counseling for municipal public
 1-3     safety employees.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Chapter 142, Local Government Code, is amended by
 1-6     adding Section 142.012 to read as follows:
 1-7           Sec. 142.012.  CRITICAL INCIDENT COUNSELING FOR PUBLIC SAFETY
 1-8     EMPLOYEES. (a)  In this section, "public safety employee" means an
 1-9     employee of a municipality who is either:
1-10                 (1)  a peace officer under Article 2.12, Code of
1-11     Criminal Procedure;
1-12                 (2)  a firefighter; or
1-13                 (3)  an employee who provides emergency medical
1-14     services.
1-15           (b)  A municipality shall provide educational and counseling
1-16     services to a public safety employee who:
1-17                 (1)  is exposed to or involved in an incident involving
1-18     the death of or serious injury to another individual; and
1-19                 (2)  requests the services.
1-20           (c)  Educational and counseling services provided under
1-21     Subsection (b) must be:
1-22                 (1)  provided by personnel who are trained to provide
1-23     the services; and
1-24                 (2)  designed to mitigate the emotional impact of the
 2-1     public safety employee's exposure to the incident and prepare the
 2-2     employee to respond to future similar incidents.
 2-3           SECTION 2. Section 142.012, Local Government Code, as added
 2-4     by this Act, applies to all requests for educational and counseling
 2-5     services made after the effective date of this Act, regardless of
 2-6     the date on which the incident giving rise to the need for the
 2-7     services occurred.
 2-8           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
 2-9     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-10     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
2-11     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-12     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.