85R7026 MAW-D
 
  By: Turner H.B. No. 1811
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to hearings conducted by the Texas Commission on Law
  Enforcement.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter C, Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, is
  amended by adding Section 1701.1025 to read as follows:
         Sec. 1701.1025.  HEARINGS OFFICERS. The commission shall
  employ one or more hearings officers to conduct hearings required
  by this chapter.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 1701.4525(a), (e), and (g), Occupations
  Code, are amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A person who is the subject of an employment termination
  report maintained by the commission under this subchapter may
  contest information contained in the report by submitting to the
  law enforcement agency and to the commission a written petition on a
  form prescribed by the commission for a correction of the report not
  later than the 30th day after the date the person receives a copy of
  the report. [On receipt of the petition, the commission shall refer
  the petition to the State Office of Administrative Hearings.]
         (e)  In a proceeding to contest information in an employment
  termination report for a report based on alleged misconduct, the
  commission [an administrative law judge] shall determine if the
  alleged misconduct occurred by a preponderance of the evidence
  regardless of whether the person who is the subject of the report
  was terminated or the person resigned, retired, or separated in
  lieu of termination. If the alleged misconduct is not supported by a
  preponderance of the evidence, the commission [administrative law
  judge] shall [order the commission to] change the report. The
  commission shall send the changed report to the law enforcement
  agency that prepared the original employment termination report.
  The law enforcement agency shall replace the original employment
  termination report with the changed report.
         (g)  The commission is not considered a party in a proceeding
  conducted [by the State Office of Administrative Hearings] under
  this section.
         SECTION 3.  Section 1701.504, Occupations Code, is amended
  to read as follows:
         Sec. 1701.504.  HEARING. (a) Except as provided by Sections
  1701.502 and 1701.503, if the commission proposes to suspend or
  revoke a person's license, the person is entitled to a hearing
  conducted by the commission [State Office of Administrative
  Hearings].
         (b)  If the commission proposes to refuse to renew a person's
  license, the person is entitled to a hearing conducted by the
  commission [State Office of Administrative Hearings].
         SECTION 4.  Section 1701.505(b), Occupations Code, is
  repealed.
         SECTION 5.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to a proceeding under Chapter 1701, Occupations Code, that
  commences on or after the effective date of this Act. A proceeding
  that commences before the effective date of this Act is governed by
  the law in effect on the date the proceeding commenced, and the
  former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 6.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.