| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the operations of the Department of Public Safety, |
|
|
Parks and Wildlife Department, and state military forces in the |
|
|
border region. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 411.00711 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.00711. TRAINING FOR COMMISSIONED OFFICERS |
|
|
ASSIGNED TO BORDER REGION. Department officers assigned to a |
|
|
department region that includes one or more counties along the |
|
|
Texas-Mexico border must be certified regarding appropriate |
|
|
training, including academy and in-service training, in the |
|
|
following: |
|
|
(1) immigration law related to protections for victims |
|
|
of crime or persecution; |
|
|
(2) use of force and tactical withdrawal in reducing |
|
|
the need for lethal force; |
|
|
(3) social and cultural sensitivity toward border |
|
|
communities and the impact of border operations on communities and |
|
|
residents; |
|
|
(4) language and basic cultural awareness of major |
|
|
migrant-sending nations; |
|
|
(5) best practices in community policing and civil and |
|
|
human rights; |
|
|
(6) response to grievances and referral of complaints; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(7) identification of and response to vulnerable |
|
|
populations, including persons expressing potential grounds for |
|
|
asylum, children, victims of crime and human trafficking, and |
|
|
individuals fleeing persecution or torture. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 411.0198 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.0198. OMBUDSMAN FOR BORDER OPERATIONS-RELATED |
|
|
CONCERNS. (a) In this section, "ombudsman" means the ombudsman for |
|
|
border operations-related concerns established under this section. |
|
|
(b) The director shall appoint an ombudsman for border |
|
|
operations-related concerns. The ombudsman shall report directly |
|
|
to the director. |
|
|
(c) To serve as ombudsman, a person must be knowledgeable in |
|
|
civil and human rights law. |
|
|
(d) The ombudsman shall receive and resolve complaints from |
|
|
individuals and employers and assist in resolving problems with the |
|
|
border operations components of the department. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Subchapter D, Chapter 411, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Sections 411.055 and 411.056 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.055. PERFORMANCE MEASURES FOR ASSESSING BORDER |
|
|
OPERATIONS. The department shall develop and implement performance |
|
|
measures as part of the department's review of its border |
|
|
operations. |
|
|
Sec. 411.056. ANNUAL REPORT ON BORDER OPERATIONS. Not |
|
|
later than January 30 of each year, the department shall report to |
|
|
the legislature regarding the impact of the department's border |
|
|
operations on the protection of due process, the civil and human |
|
|
rights of border residents and visitors, the private property |
|
|
rights of landowners, and the economies of municipalities and |
|
|
counties along the Texas-Mexico border. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Subchapter E, Chapter 437, Government Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 437.233 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 437.233. TRAINING FOR MEMBERS OF TEXAS MILITARY FORCES |
|
|
ASSIGNED TO BORDER COUNTIES. A member of the Texas military forces |
|
|
serving on state active duty in a county along the Texas-Mexico |
|
|
border must be certified regarding appropriate training, including |
|
|
academy and in-service training, in the following: |
|
|
(1) immigration law related to protections for victims |
|
|
of crime or persecution; |
|
|
(2) use of force and tactical withdrawal in reducing |
|
|
the need for lethal force; |
|
|
(3) social and cultural sensitivity toward border |
|
|
communities and the impact of border operations on communities and |
|
|
residents; |
|
|
(4) language and basic cultural awareness of major |
|
|
migrant-sending nations; |
|
|
(5) best practices in community policing and civil and |
|
|
human rights; |
|
|
(6) response to grievances and referral of complaints; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(7) identification of and response to vulnerable |
|
|
populations, including persons expressing potential grounds for |
|
|
asylum, children, victims of crime and human trafficking, and |
|
|
individuals fleeing persecution or torture. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Subchapter B, Chapter 11, Parks and Wildlife |
|
|
Code, is amended by adding Section 11.0196 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 11.0196. TRAINING FOR CERTAIN PEACE OFFICERS. A peace |
|
|
officer of the department assigned to a county along the |
|
|
Texas-Mexico border must be certified regarding appropriate |
|
|
training, including academy and in-service training, in the |
|
|
following: |
|
|
(1) immigration law related to protections for victims |
|
|
of crime or persecution; |
|
|
(2) use of force and tactical withdrawal in reducing |
|
|
the need for lethal force; |
|
|
(3) social and cultural sensitivity toward border |
|
|
communities and the impact of border operations on communities and |
|
|
residents; |
|
|
(4) language and basic cultural awareness of major |
|
|
migrant-sending nations; |
|
|
(5) best practices in community policing and civil and |
|
|
human rights; |
|
|
(6) response to grievances and referral of complaints; |
|
|
and |
|
|
(7) identification of and response to vulnerable |
|
|
populations, including persons expressing potential grounds for |
|
|
asylum, children, victims of crime and human trafficking, and |
|
|
individuals fleeing persecution or torture. |
|
|
SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |