| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to certain federal law enforcement agents serving as armed |
|
|
security officers at public schools and the authority of the chief |
|
|
of school safety and security for the Texas Education Agency to |
|
|
carry a weapon on public school grounds. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 37.0814(b), Education Code, is amended |
|
|
to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) A security officer described by Subsection (a) must be: |
|
|
(1) a school district peace officer; |
|
|
(2) a school resource officer; [or] |
|
|
(3) a commissioned peace officer employed as security |
|
|
personnel under Section 37.081; or |
|
|
(4) a current or former licensed federal law |
|
|
enforcement agent who is authorized to carry a weapon while on duty. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 37, Education Code, is |
|
|
amended by adding Section 37.088 to read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 37.088. CHIEF OF SCHOOL SAFETY AND SECURITY. An |
|
|
individual appointed by the governor as chief of school safety and |
|
|
security for the agency may carry a weapon on the grounds of any |
|
|
school district or open-enrollment charter school campus or |
|
|
facility in this state if the individual is a commissioned peace |
|
|
officer or a current or former licensed federal law enforcement |
|
|
agent who is authorized to carry a weapon while on duty. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 46.15, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
|
|
Subsection (s) to read as follows: |
|
|
(s) Section 46.03(a)(1) does not apply to a person appointed |
|
|
as chief of school safety and security for the Texas Education |
|
|
Agency if the person is: |
|
|
(1) carrying the weapon on the premises of a public |
|
|
primary or secondary school or on any grounds or building owned by |
|
|
and under the control of the school; and |
|
|
(2) authorized to carry a weapon under Section 37.088, |
|
|
Education Code. |
|
|
SECTION 4. Section 46.15, Penal Code, as amended by this |
|
|
Act, applies only to an offense committed on or after the effective |
|
|
date of this Act. An offense committed before the effective date of |
|
|
this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was |
|
|
committed, and the former law is continued in effect for that |
|
|
purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was committed |
|
|
before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense |
|
|
occurred before that date. |
|
|
SECTION 5. Section 37.0814, Education Code, as amended by |
|
|
this Act, applies beginning with the 2025-2026 school year. |
|
|
SECTION 6. 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, 2025. |