BILL ANALYSIS
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The Texas Legislature created the Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (LEOSE) Fund for. The fund was created to defer the cost of the required continuing education of Texas peace officers. The LEOSE fund is funded by existing court costs and the expenditure of the fund is statutorily restricted to the training of peace officers.
There is very little accountability to insure that the disbursement of the LEOSE funds are distributed according to statute. In August 2004, the Sate Auditor's Office reported that there were several accounting issues within the departments who receive LEOSE funds. The State Auditor's Office also reported instances in which the LEOSE funds were commingled with local General Revenue funds and the lack of accurate or even nonexistent accounting of the fund.
H.B. 3307 requires law enforcement agencies to submit a detailed report to the Comptroller of Public Accounts regarding the use of the training funds.
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.
ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 1701.157(a) Occupations Code by adding an eligibility requirement for departments receiving fund allocations. Section 1701.157(b) Occupations Code, sets out requirements to be met for eligibility including the report contents and timing of the report to the Comptroller.
SECTION 2. Transition language applying the bill to allocations made after January 1, 2008.
SECTION 3. Effective Date is September 1, 2007
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2007