BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1972

By: Giddings

Juvenile Justice & Family Issues

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Interested parties note that not all school district police departments require officer training, but report that officers from school districts of all sizes have expressed a need for training to learn techniques that specifically apply to minors in a school setting. H.B. 1972 seeks to address this need by revising certain school district peace and school resource officer training requirements.

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. 1972 amends the Occupations Code to lower the minimum number of students that must be enrolled in a school district that triggers the duty of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to require a school district peace officer or a school resource officer who is commissioned by or who provides law enforcement at the district to successfully complete the model education and training program for such officers from 30,000 students to 5,000 students. The bill extends the deadline by which an officer must complete the training program from before or within 120 days of the officer's commission by or placement in the district or a district campus to not later than 180 days after the officer's commission by or placement in the district or a district campus. The bill requires an officer who commences employment with or commences providing law enforcement at a school district with an enrollment of 5,000 or more students but less than 30,000 students on a date occurring before September 1, 2017, to complete the training program as soon as practicable and not later than August 31, 2018.

H.B. 1972 amends the Education Code to lower the minimum number of students that must be enrolled in a public school district that commissions a school district peace officer or at which a school resource officer provides law enforcement that triggers the district's duty to adopt a policy requiring the officer to complete the model education and training program. The bill requires a district with an enrollment of 5,000 or more students but less than 30,000 students to adopt such a training policy not later than October 1, 2017.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2017.