HB 3, Hse 2nd Rdg, Amnd #13

(1) On page 15, lines 12 and 13, strike "Subsections (b-1) and (b-2)" and substitute "Subsection (a-1)".

(2) On page 15, line 14, strike "A" and substitute "Subject to Subsection (a-1), a".

(3) Strike page 17 line 18, through page 18 line 5, and substitute the following:

(a-1) A school district may not receive an allotment under Subsection (a) unless the district enters into an agreement with the Department of Information Resources, the agency, and the Texas School Safety Center to participate in the statewide school safety cooperative contract program developed under Section 37.119 for the purchase of designated technologies.

(4) Add the following appropriately numbered SECTION to the bill and renumber subsequent SECTIONS of the bill accordingly:

SECTION ____. Subchapter D, Chapter 37, Education Code, is amended by adding Section 37.119 to read as follows:

Sec. 37.119. STATEWIDE SCHOOL SAFETY COOPERATIVE CONTRACT PROGRAM FOR DESIGNATED TECHNOLOGIES; GRANTS. (a) The Department of Information Resources, in consultation with the agency and the Texas School Safety Center, shall develop a statewide school safety cooperative contract program under which the department:

(1) designates certain school safety technologies that a school district or open-enrollment charter school participating in the program may procure only under a designated statewide school safety cooperative contract approved under this section; and

(2) approves statewide school safety cooperative contracts with vendors to provide each technology designated under Subdivision (1).

(b) In designating technologies for purposes of this section, the Department of Information Resources:

(1) shall include school security solutions technologies that consist primarily of software applications and are typically sold on a recurring basis by a vendor of that technology, including:

(A) software-based access control solutions;

(B) software-based emergency mass notification solutions;

(D) video-analytic firearm detection and alerting systems; and

(E) automated emergency response solutions; and

(2) may not designate:

(A) physical security threat assessments;

(B) hardware products, including security cameras that are sold as a one-time, fixed-cost product;

(D) radios and other general communication devices; or

(E) enhanced mapping products that are sold as a one-time cost product with a minimal recurring annual fee.

(c) Before approving and entering into a statewide school safety cooperative contract with a vendor to provide a designated technology under this section, the Department of Information Resources, in consultation with the agency and the Texas School Safety Center, shall:

(1) ensure the technology contracted for meets the required specifications under Subsection (d);

(2) consider the purchase price of that technology compared to the price provided by other vendors or for similar technologies; and

(3) consider any other relevant factors.

(d) In selecting a vendor of a designated technology for a statewide school safety cooperative contract, the Department of Information Resources shall:

(1) ensure that the technology provided by that vendor:

(A) is capable of being fully integrated into a statewide system for which the vendor provides continuous uptime remote monitoring and auditing functionality;

(B) is developed in the United States without the use of any third-party or open-source data;

(C) is compliant with any applicable requirements under the National Defense Authorization Act (10 U.S.C. Section 2679); and

(D) if the technology uses software, has an application programming interface that is accessible to enable integration with other software; and

(2) to the extent possible, prioritize technologies:

(A) designated as qualified technology under the federal SAFETY Act (6 U.S.C. Section 441 et seq.); and

(B) provided by a vendor that:

(i) is financially stable;

(ii) has demonstrated capability and responsibility through a sustained history of successful deployments of the technology at schools; and

(iii) is able to provide reliable maintenance and support.

(e) A school district or open-enrollment charter school that enters an agreement to participate in the statewide school safety cooperative contract program under this section may not purchase a technology designated under this section except under the applicable approved cooperative contract.

(f) From funds appropriated for the purpose, the agency shall provide to school districts and open-enrollment charter schools that participate in the statewide school safety cooperative contract program grants for the purchase of designated technologies under an applicable approved cooperative contract.

(g) The Department of Information Resources and the commissioner may adopt rules as necessary to implement this section.