BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 2407

By: Hancock

Homeland Security & Public Safety

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

In its report to the 88th Texas Legislature, the Senate Special Committee to Protect all Texans made recommendations on how to improve access to the state's school marshal program and ensure high-quality training to those participating. The committee recommended that training from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center be incorporated into the school marshal training program and that the list of persons eligible to become a school marshal be expanded to include retired peace officers and honorably discharged veterans who do not have a handgun license. Additionally, it recommended that the legislature direct the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement to develop a version of school marshal training that could be taught over several consecutive Saturdays during the school year, since that training is currently only offered during the summer. S.B. 2407 seeks to implement these recommendations.

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

S.B. 2407 amends the Occupations Code to make an employee of a public school district, open-enrollment charter school, private school, or public junior college who is not a handgun license holder but who is a retired peace officer, as that term is defined for purposes of provisions providing for the reactivation of a peace officer license, or an honorably discharged veteran of the U.S. armed forces eligible to participate in the school marshal training program and be licensed as a school marshal by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). With respect to the portion of the training program designed to enable the trainee to respond to an emergency situation requiring deadly force, the bill requires TCOLE to require a trainee to complete a course of instruction offered by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center at Texas State University--San Marcos that is designed to prepare the trainee to isolate, distract, and neutralize an active shooter. In addition, the bill requires TCOLE, not later than April 1, 2024, to develop a school marshal training program that may be offered over a number of consecutive Saturdays during a school year.

S.B. 2407 amends the Education Code to require the ALERRT Center to offer to a person participating in a school marshal training program a course of instruction designed to prepare the person to isolate, distract, and neutralize an active shooter.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.