H.R. No. 2915

R E S O L U T I O N

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, 80th Legislature, Regular Session, 2007, That House Rule 13, Section 9(a), be suspended in part as provided by House Rule 13, Section 9(f), to enable the conference committee appointed to resolve the differences on Senate Bill 11 (relating homeland security; providing penalties) to consider and take action on the following matter:

House Rule 13, Sections 9(a)(3) and (4), are suspended to permit the conference committee to add the following new article:

ARTICLE 18. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS RELATING TO HOMELAND SECURITY

AND BORDER SECURITY

SECTION 18.01. Subchapter A, Chapter 421, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 421.0025 to read as follows:

Sec. 421.0025. BORDER SECURITY COUNCIL. (a) The Border Security Council consists of members appointed by the governor.

(a-1) At least one-third of the members appointed under Subsection (a) must be residents of the Texas-Mexico border region, as defined by Section 2056.002.

(b) The Border Security Council shall develop and recommend to the office of the governor performance standards, reporting requirements, audit methods, and other procedures to ensure that funds allocated by the office of the governor for purposes related to security at or near this state's international border are used properly and that the recipients of the funds are accountable for the proper use of the funds.

(c) The Border Security Council shall advise the office of the governor regarding the allocation of funds by the office for purposes related to security at or near this state's international border. Recommendations relating to the allocation of those funds must be made by a majority of the members of the council.

(d) The governor shall designate one member of the Border Security Council as the chair. The chair shall arrange meetings of the Border Security Council at times determined by the members of the council.

(e) The meetings of the Border Security Council are subject to the requirements of Chapter 551 to the same extent as similar meetings of the Public Safety Commission. The plans and recommendations of the Border Security Council are subject to the requirements of Chapter 552 to the same extent as similar plans and recommendations of the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas.

(f) Service on the Border Security Council by a state officer or employee or by an officer or employee of a local government is an additional duty of the member's office or employment.

SECTION 18.02. The heading to Subchapter E, Chapter 421, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

SUBCHAPTER E. TEXAS FUSION [INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION

COMMUNICATIONS] CENTER

SECTION 18.03. Section 421.081, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 421.081. FACILITIES AND ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT. The Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas shall provide facilities and administrative support for the Texas Fusion [Infrastructure Protection Communications] Center.

SECTION 18.04. Subchapter H, Chapter 2155, Government Code, is amended by adding Section 2155.452 to read as follows:

Sec. 2155.452. CERTAIN CONTRACTS FOR HOMELAND SECURITY OR LAW ENFORCEMENT TECHNOLOGY. A state governmental entity that issues a request for proposals for technological products or services for homeland security or law enforcement purposes must allow a business entity to substitute the qualifications of its executive officers or managers for the qualifications required of the business entity in the request for proposals.

SECTION 18.05. Article 61.02(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

(c) Criminal information collected under this chapter relating to a criminal street gang must:

(1) be relevant to the identification of an organization that is reasonably suspected of involvement in criminal activity; and

(2) consist of:

(A) a judgment under any law that includes, as a finding or as an element of a criminal offense, participation in a criminal street gang;

(B) a self-admission by the individual of criminal street gang membership that is made during a judicial proceeding; or

(C) any two of the following:

(i) [(A)] a self-admission by the individual of criminal street gang membership that is not made during a judicial proceeding;

(ii) [(B)] an identification of the individual as a criminal street gang member by a reliable informant or other individual;

(iii) [(C)] a corroborated identification of the individual as a criminal street gang member by an informant or other individual of unknown reliability;

(iv) [(D)] evidence that the individual frequents a documented area of a criminal street gang and[,] associates with known criminal street gang members;

(v) evidence that the individual[, and] uses, in more than an incidental manner, criminal street gang dress, hand signals, tattoos, or symbols, including expressions of letters, numbers, words, or marks, regardless of the format or medium in which the symbols are displayed, that are associated with a criminal street gang that operates in an area frequented by the individual and described by Subparagraph (iv); or

(vi) [(E)] evidence that the individual has been arrested or taken into custody with known criminal street gang members for an offense or conduct consistent with criminal street gang activity.

SECTION 18.06. Article 61.06(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

(c) In determining whether information is required to be removed from an intelligence database under Subsection (b), the three-year period does not include any period during which the individual who is the subject of the information is:

(1) confined in a correctional facility operated by or under contract with the [institutional division or the state jail division of the] Texas Department of Criminal Justice;

(2) committed to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Youth Commission, as defined by Section 51.02, Family Code; or

(3) confined in a county jail or a facility operated by a juvenile board in lieu of being confined in a correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or being committed to a secure correctional facility operated by or under contract with the Texas Youth Commission.

SECTION 18.07. Chapter 61, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by adding Article 61.075 to read as follows:

Art. 61.075. RIGHT TO REQUEST EXISTENCE OF CRIMINAL INFORMATION. (a) A person or the parent or guardian of a child may request a law enforcement agency to determine whether the agency has collected or is maintaining, under criteria established under Article 61.02(c), criminal information relating solely to the person or child. The law enforcement agency shall respond to the request not later than the 10th business day after the date the agency receives the request.

(b) Before responding to a request under Subsection (a), a law enforcement agency may require reasonable written verification of the identity of the person making the request and the relationship between the parent or guardian and the child, if applicable, including written verification of an address, date of birth, driver's license number, state identification card number, or social security number.

Explanation: This addition is necessary to add an article to the bill related to miscellaneous homeland security and border security provisions concerning the Border Security Council, the Texas Fusion Center, certain contracts for homeland security or law enforcement technology, and criminal information.

Corte

______________________________ Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 2915 was adopted by the House on May 28, 2007, by the following vote: Yeas 117, Nays 20, 2 present, not voting.

______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House