| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to an annual report by the Border Security Council |
|
|
regarding criminal street gangs and expanding gang prevention |
|
|
efforts. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 421.0025, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows: |
|
|
(g) The Border Security Council shall submit to the governor |
|
|
a report regarding criminal street gangs and expanding gang |
|
|
prevention efforts. The report must be approved by a majority of |
|
|
the council members and must include: |
|
|
(1) an evaluation of the threat that criminal street |
|
|
gangs and gang-related crime pose to the infrastructure and |
|
|
well-being of the state, each county, and each municipality with a |
|
|
population of more than 100,000; and |
|
|
(2) recommendations on actions that may be taken to: |
|
|
(A) prevent recruitment of youth into gangs by: |
|
|
(i) identifying best practices across the |
|
|
United States utilized to combat criminal street gangs and |
|
|
gang-related crime; and |
|
|
(ii) identifying factors within each |
|
|
municipality with a population of more than 100,000 that may make |
|
|
youth susceptible to gang recruitment; |
|
|
(B) identify local community-based organizations |
|
|
across the state willing to participate in a collaborative effort |
|
|
so as to: |
|
|
(i) assess the organization's current |
|
|
resources; and |
|
|
(ii) assess the organization's best |
|
|
practices in conjunction with local law enforcement gang prevention |
|
|
efforts; and |
|
|
(C) identify strategies to include youth, |
|
|
families, and community-based organizations in the decision-making |
|
|
process so as to: |
|
|
(i) increase interaction and communication |
|
|
between all stakeholders; |
|
|
(ii) establish trust between all |
|
|
stakeholders; and |
|
|
(iii) secure support from all stakeholders. |
|
|
SECTION 2. The Border Security Council shall submit the |
|
|
first annual report regarding criminal street gangs and expanding |
|
|
gang prevention efforts to the governor as required by Subsection |
|
|
(g), Section 421.0025, Government Code, as added by this Act, not |
|
|
later than September 1, 2010. |
|
|
SECTION 3. 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. |