By: Clardy (Senate Sponsor - Nichols) H.B. No. 1545

(In the Senate - Received from the House April 18, 2017; April 24, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice; May 19, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 1; May 19, 2017, sent to printer.) Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the acceptance of certain high school courses to satisfy part of the training required to obtain a peace officer license.

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

SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is amended by adding Section 1701.1525 to read as follows:

Sec. 1701.1525. RULES RELATED TO ACCEPTANCE OF CREDIT HOURS FOR COMPLETION OF CERTAIN HIGH SCHOOL COURSES. (a) The commission shall adopt rules that establish a procedure under which credit hours earned for the successful completion of high school courses that directly relate to law enforcement can be counted toward the hours of training required of an applicant for a peace officer license issued under Section 1701.307.

(b) The rules adopted under this section must require that an applicant submit to the commission a high school transcript that indicates the applicant earned an endorsement in the public services category, as described by Section 28.025(c-1), Education Code.

SECTION 2. (a) Not later than December 1, 2017, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement shall adopt rules as necessary to comply with Section 1701.1525, Occupations Code, as added by this Act.

(b) Section 1701.1525, Occupations Code, as added by this Act, applies only to an application for a license submitted to the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement on or after the effective date of this Act. An application submitted before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the application was submitted, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.

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