86R23694 TSS-F

By: Metcalf, Huberty, Allen, H.B. No. 974

González of El Paso, Dutton

Substitute the following for H.B. No. 974:

By: VanDeaver C.S.H.B. No. 974

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to public school safety measures and procedures.

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

SECTION 1. Section 37.108(b), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(b) At least once every two [three] years, each school district or public junior college district shall conduct a safety and security audit of the district's facilities. To the extent possible, a district shall follow safety and security audit procedures developed by the Texas School Safety Center or a comparable public or private entity.

SECTION 2. Section 38.022, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsection (c-1) to read as follows:

(a) A school district shall [may] require a person who enters a district campus for a purpose other than to attend a school-sponsored event that is open to the public to display the person's driver's license or another form of identification containing the person's photograph issued by a governmental entity.

(c) A school district shall [may] verify whether a person who visits [visitor to] a district campus for a purpose other than to attend a school-sponsored event that is open to the public is a sex offender registered with the computerized central database maintained by the Department of Public Safety as provided by Article 62.005, Code of Criminal Procedure, or any other database accessible by the district.

(c-1) A school district may verify whether a person who visits a district campus to attend a school-sponsored event that is open to the public is a sex offender registered with the computerized central database maintained by the Department of Public Safety as provided by Article 62.005, Code of Criminal Procedure, or any other database accessible by the district.

SECTION 3. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2019.