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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to creating a database of and issuing identification cards |
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to certain essential first responder personnel who operate or |
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restore critical infrastructure. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 418, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Sections 418.049 and 418.050 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 418.049. ESSENTIAL FIRST RESPONSE PERSONNEL DATABASE. |
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(a) In this section, "essential personnel" means an employee of a |
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public or private entity who performs functions in the operation or |
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restoration of critical infrastructure. |
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(b) The division shall create a database of essential |
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personnel that includes information identifying the personnel, |
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including: |
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(1) the full name of each individual designated as |
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essential personnel; |
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(2) the employer of the individual; |
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(3) a photograph of the individual; |
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(4) the individual's job title, Texas driver's license |
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number or Texas identification number, and reason for inclusion in |
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the database; |
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(5) the sector of critical infrastructure employment; |
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(6) the phone number of the employer; |
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(7) any limitations as to access or responsibility; |
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and |
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(8) the signature of the individual. |
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(c) The division shall establish a procedure for |
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designating an individual as essential personnel and allowing |
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employers to view the database and request that an employee be added |
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to or deleted from the database. This procedure shall require an |
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employer to certify that each employee listed in the database has |
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successfully completed a criminal background check. |
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Sec. 418.050. ESSENTIAL PERSONNEL IDENTIFICATION CARD. (a) |
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The division shall issue identification cards to the employer for |
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distribution to the employers essential personnel. |
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(b) The division shall establish standard information to be |
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included on an identification card. The identification card must |
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include the photograph of the individual to whom it is issued. |
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(c) The employer of an individual issued an identification |
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card shall recover the identification card and return the card to |
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the division at the time of the employee's resignation or |
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termination. |
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(d) The identification card expires on a date specified by |
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the division. |
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(e) If an identification card issued under this section is |
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lost or stolen, the division may: |
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(1) require the individual to submit an affidavit |
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executed by the individual to the division stating that the |
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identification card was lost or stolen; and |
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(2) issue a duplicate identification card to the |
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employer for distribution to the individual. |
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(f) An identification card issued under this section is a |
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governmental record for purposes of Section 37.10, Penal Code. |
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SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 2007, the division of |
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emergency management in the office of the governor shall establish |
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the infrastructure for the database and adopt procedures for |
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maintaining the database, receiving information for the database, |
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and issuing identification cards as required by Sections 418.049 |
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and 418.050, Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |