BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 960

By: Villalba

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties contend that the current cap of one school marshal per 400 students in average daily attendance does not allow schools to provide adequate protection for their students.      H.B. 960 seeks to address this issue by providing for an increase in the permissible number of school marshals per students in average daily attendance at a campus.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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

H.B. 960 amends the Education Code to change the maximum number of school marshals a public school district or the governing body of an open-enrollment charter school may appoint from one school marshal per 400 students in average daily attendance per campus to the greater of either one school marshal per 200 students in average daily attendance per campus or, for each campus, one school marshal per building of the campus at which students regularly receive classroom instruction. The bill changes the kind of ammunition with which a handgun carried by or within access of a school marshal or public junior college school marshal may be loaded from frangible ammunition designed to disintegrate on impact for maximum safety and minimal danger to others to frangible duty ammunition approved for the applicable purpose by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.