| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to requiring certain alert messages to be in English and |
|
|
Spanish. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 51.218(b), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(b) Each institution of higher education and private or |
|
|
independent institution of higher education shall establish an |
|
|
emergency alert system for the institution's students and staff, |
|
|
including faculty. The emergency alert system must use e-mail or |
|
|
telephone notifications in addition to any other alert method the |
|
|
institution considers appropriate to provide timely notification |
|
|
of emergencies affecting the institution or its students and staff. |
|
|
Information provided through the emergency alert system must be in |
|
|
English and Spanish. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 411.306, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.306. CONTENT OF POWER OUTAGE ALERT. The power |
|
|
outage alert must be in English and Spanish and include a statement |
|
|
that electricity customers may experience a power outage. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 411.352, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.352. STATEWIDE AMERICA'S MISSING: BROADCAST |
|
|
EMERGENCY RESPONSE (AMBER) ALERT SYSTEM FOR ABDUCTED CHILDREN AND |
|
|
MISSING PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES. With the |
|
|
cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation, the office |
|
|
of the governor, and other appropriate law enforcement agencies in |
|
|
this state, the department shall develop and implement a statewide |
|
|
alert system to be activated on behalf of an abducted child or a |
|
|
missing person with an intellectual disability. The department |
|
|
shall require that the information provided through the alert |
|
|
system, including information sent through text messages or |
|
|
displayed on dynamic message signs, be in English and Spanish. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 411.372, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.372. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ALERT |
|
|
SYSTEM. With the cooperation of the Texas Department of |
|
|
Transportation, the office of the governor, and other appropriate |
|
|
law enforcement agencies in this state, the department shall |
|
|
develop and implement an alert system to be activated on report of |
|
|
an active shooter. The department shall require that the |
|
|
information provided through the alert system, including |
|
|
information sent through text messages or displayed on dynamic |
|
|
message signs, be in English and Spanish. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 411.388, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.388. CONTENT OF SILVER ALERT. The alert must be |
|
|
in English and Spanish and include: |
|
|
(1) all appropriate information that is provided by |
|
|
the local law enforcement agency and that may lead to the safe |
|
|
recovery of the missing senior citizen or person with Alzheimer's |
|
|
disease; and |
|
|
(2) a statement instructing any person with |
|
|
information related to the missing senior citizen or person with |
|
|
Alzheimer's disease to contact a local law enforcement agency. |
|
|
SECTION 6. Section 411.448, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.448. CONTENT OF ALERT. The alert must be in |
|
|
English and Spanish and include: |
|
|
(1) all appropriate information that is provided by |
|
|
the law enforcement agency under Section 411.446 and that may lead |
|
|
to the apprehension of the missing suspect; and |
|
|
(2) a statement instructing any person with |
|
|
information related to the missing suspect to contact a law |
|
|
enforcement agency. |
|
|
SECTION 7. Section 411.468, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 411.468. CONTENT OF ALERT. The alert must be in |
|
|
English and Spanish and include: |
|
|
(1) all appropriate information that may lead to the |
|
|
safe recovery of the missing adult, as determined by the |
|
|
department; and |
|
|
(2) a statement instructing any person with |
|
|
information related to the missing adult to contact a local or state |
|
|
law enforcement agency. |
|
|
SECTION 8. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas, |
|
|
and each institution of higher education and private or independent |
|
|
institution of higher education, as those terms are defined by |
|
|
Section 61.003, Education Code, shall adopt rules to implement the |
|
|
changes in law made by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 9. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |