BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2812

By: Burns

Youth Health & Safety, Select

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

A constituent, who is a licensed handgun instructor and is authorized to perform school safety training for employees of a public school district or open-enrollment charter school under Government Code provisions, was asked to provide school safety training for a religious private school but was not able to due to limitations under current law. C.S.H.B. 2812 resolves this issue by allowing qualified handgun instructors to provide school safety training to employees of a private school.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 2812 amends the Government Code to authorize a qualified handgun instructor certified in school safety by the Department of Public Safety to provide school safety training to employees of a private school who hold a handgun license, including instruction in the following subjects:

· the protection of students;

· interaction of license holders with first responders;

· tactics for denying an intruder entry into a classroom or school facility; and

· methods for increasing a license holder's accuracy with a handgun while under duress.

C.S.H.B. 2812 defines "private school" as a school that is accredited by an organization recognized by the Texas Education Agency or by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.

COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 2812 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

Whereas the introduced applied its provisions to a private religious academy or school and defined that term, the substitute applies its provisions only to a private school and provides for accreditation by an organization recognized by the Texas Private School Accreditation Commission in the definition of that term.