BILL ANALYSIS

 

 

S.B. 396

By: Hegar

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Committee Report (Unamended)

 

 

 

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

 

Under current law, eligible survivors of certain individuals who died as a result of injury sustained in the line of duty are entitled to specified death benefits.  While these benefits are available to the survivors of most fallen Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas (DPS) personnel, current law does not confer those benefits to the survivors of some DPS personnel.  S.B. 396 specifies that the survivors of specified essential DPS support personnel, as certified by the public safety director of DPS, would be eligible for the same line-of-duty death benefits as other already eligible DPS personnel.

 

S.B. 396 amends current law relating to the provision of state death benefits to certain employees of the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas.

 

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

 

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 615.003, Government Code, to add the eligible survivors of a juvenile correctional employee of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, rather than the Texas Youth Commission, or an individual who is employed by the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas and, as certified by the public safety director, is deployed into the field in direct support of a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative, search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special operations, and given a special assignment in direct support of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction, border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special investigations, to the list of certain individuals to whom this chapter (Financial Assistance to Survivors of Certain Law Enforcement Officers, Fire Fighters, and Others) applies.

 

SECTION 2.  Makes application of the change in law made by this Act prospective.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE

 

September 1, 2013.