By: West S.B. No. 1212

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to granting limited state law enforcement authority to special agents of the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Subsection (a), Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended to read as follows:

(a) The following named criminal investigators of the United States shall not be deemed peace officers, but shall have the powers of arrest, search and seizure as to felony offenses only under the laws of the State of Texas:

(1) Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation;

(2) Special Agents of the United States Secret Service;

(3) Special Agents of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency [Customs Service];

(4) Special Agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, [and] Firearms and Explosives;

(5) Special Agents of the United States [Federal] Drug Enforcement Administration [Agency];

(6) Inspectors of the United States Postal Inspection Service;

(7) Special Agents of the Criminal Investigation Division and Inspectors of the Internal Security Division of the Internal Revenue Service;

(8) Civilian Special Agents of the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service;

(9) Marshals and Deputy Marshals of the United States Marshals Service;

(10) [Special Agents of the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service; and

[(11)] Special Agents of the United States Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security; and

(11) Special Agents of the Office of Inspector General of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2009.