87R1617 JCG-F
 
  By: Bell of Montgomery H.B. No. 1062
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the eligibility of certain 17-year-old persons to serve
  as members of the Texas State Guard.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 437.302, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  To serve in the Texas State Guard, a person:
               (1)  must be a resident of this state for at least 180
  days;
               (2)  must be a citizen of the United States or a person
  who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent
  residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
  Section 1101 et seq.);
               (3)  subject to Subsections [Subsection] (c) and (d),
  must be at least 17 [18] years of age and not older than 70 years of
  age;
               (4)  must undergo a criminal history check;
               (5)  must not be a registered sex offender; and
               (6)  must be acceptable to and approved by the governor
  or adjutant general under the governor's direction.
         (d)  A person who is at least 17 years of age but younger than
  18 years of age may serve in the Texas State Guard if the person:
               (1)  is emancipated by marriage, court order, or other
  operation of law; or
               (2)  provides to the adjutant general, in a form and
  manner prescribed by the adjutant general, the written consent of:
                     (A)  each of the person's parents or legal
  guardians, other than a parent or legal guardian who is:
                           (i)  deceased;
                           (ii)  determined by a court to be
  incapacitated;
                           (iii)  absent at an unknown location for an
  indefinite period; or 
                           (iv)  confined in jail or prison serving a
  term of punishment that will result in the parent or guardian being
  released after the person's 18th birthday; or
                     (B)  for a person who is in the managing
  conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services
  or another legal entity, a representative of the department or
  other legal entity. 
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.