BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 3748

By: Coleman

Public Safety

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Texas currently mandates a continuing education course for law enforcement officers regarding civil rights, racial sensitivity, and cultural diversity and child abuse or neglect, family violence, and sexual assault. The 79th legislature, Regular Session, 2005, enacted the “Bob Meadours Act,” mandating 16-hours of de-escalation and crisis intervention training (CIT) for Texas law enforcement officers. After basic cadet training, many law enforcement officers never again revisit CIT.

A person with a mental illness can pose a danger to others, requiring intervention by law enforcement personnel. CIT is designed to provide law enforcement officers with techniques to safely negotiate with persons suffering from mental illness to ensure the safety of both that person and others.

C.S.H.B. 3748 requires peace officers to receive, as part of continuing education and training requirements under state law, training regarding de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques to facilitate interaction with persons with mental impairments.  

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

C.S.H.B. 3748 amends the Occupations Code to include in the curricula of continuing education and training required to be completed at least once every 48 months by each peace officer appointed or employed by a state, county, special district, or municipal agency, at least eight hours of training developed by the Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education on de-escalation and crisis intervention techniques for interacting with persons with mental impairments. The bill prohibits the de-escalation and crisis intervention training and education program from being provided as an online course.

C.S.H.B. 3748 requires the commission to modify the training program as required by the bill's provisions and ensure the modified program is available not later than January 1, 2010.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2009.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

C.S.H.B. 3748 differs from the original by including the not less than eight hours of de-escalation and crisis intervention training as part of a particular 20 hours of continuing education curriculum that a peace officer is required to complete at least once every 48 months, whereas the original requires four hours of such de-escalation and crisis intervention training, but does not include it as part of the 20 hours of a particular continuing education curriculum for peace officers. The substitute adds a provision not in the original prohibiting the de-escalation and crisis intervention training from being provided as an online course.