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7 Document(s) [ Subject: Gun%20control ]

Committee: Senate State Affairs
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Abortion | Campus carry | Concealed weapons | Court costs and fees | Election fraud | Freedom of religion | Gun control | Human trafficking | Lobbyists | Occupational licenses | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Privacy | State agencies | Theft | Voter registration | Voting by mail | Voting systems |
Library Call Number: L1836.86 St29a
Session: 86th R.S. (2019)
Online version: View report [51 pages  File size: 1,479 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Human Trafficking: Examine opportunities and make recommendations to reduce the profitability of and demand for human trafficking in Texas. Determine ways to increase public awareness on the proliferation of human trafficking, as well as resources for victims and survivors. Review the interaction between local, state, and federal agencies in responding to and prosecuting human trafficking and sex trafficking offenses in Texas' five most populous counties. Make recommendations to ensure law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have the tools necessary to promptly and thoroughly respond to these crimes.
2. Elections: Study the integrity and security of voter registration rolls, voting machines, and voter qualification procedures to reduce election fraud in Texas. Specifically, study and make recommendations to: 1) ensure counties are accurately verifying voter eligibility after voter registration; 2) improve training requirements for mail-in ballot signature verification committees; 3) ensure every voter has access to a polling station, particularly in counties that have adopted countywide polling; 4) allow the voter registrar, county clerk, and Secretary of State to suspend an unqualified voter's registration or remove an ineligible voter from a list of registered voters; and 5) ensure compliance with laws that prohibit school trustees and employees from improperly using public funds to advocate for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.
3. Conscience Protections for Professionals: Assess current legal protections in Texas law for professionals and students studying to pursue a professional license that have an conscience-based objection that could interfere with a professional service. Evaluate any discrimination by state agencies against an applicant for or holder of an occupational license based on a sincerely held religious belief. Make recommendations to protect Texas professionals with conscience objections.
4. Private Personal Data: Study how state agencies sell or otherwise distribute the personal data of Texas residents and recommend whether additional measures are needed to prevent the unwanted disclosure of personal information.
5. Taxpayer Lobbying: Study how governmental entities use public funds for political lobbying purposes. Examine what types of governmental entities use public funds for lobbying purposes. Make recommendations to protect taxpayers from paying for lobbyists who may not represent the taxpayers’ interests.
6. Second Amendment: Examine Second Amendment legislation passed since the 84th Legislative Session including open carry, campus carry, and lowering the license to carry fee. Determine the impact these laws have made on furthering and protecting Second Amendment rights. Make recommendations that may further protect and enhance Texans' Second Amendment right to bear arms.
7. Personal Property Protections: Examine prosecution rates for thefts involving property valued under $1,000. Make recommendations to ensure law enforcement agencies and prosecutors have the tools necessary to thoroughly protect Texans' personal property from theft.
8. Lobbying Loopholes: Review current lobby laws and examine exceptions that allow certain individuals to avoid registration as lobbyists. Consider whether the exceptions are fair, transparent, and promote the public's trust in their elected officials and governmental institutions. Propose whether these exceptions should be limited or removed so that all people engaging in lobbying must report their lobbying activities.
9. Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs passed by the 86th Legislature, as well as relevant agencies and programs under the committee's jurisdiction. Specifically, make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, or complete implementation of the following:
  • SB 22, 86th R.S., relating to prohibiting certain transactions between a governmental entity and an abortion provider; and
  • SB 39, 86th R.S., to the consolidation, allocation, classification, and repeal of certain criminal court costs and other court-related costs, fines, and fees; imposing certain court costs and fees and increasing and decreasing the amounts of certain other court costs and fees.
Committee: House Criminal Jurisprudence
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Bail | Capital punishment | Capital punishment of mentally ill inmates | Capital punishment of mentally disabled inmates | Court Administration, Texas Office of | Court costs and fees | Courts | Criminal justice | Emergency management | Fines | Gun control | Guns | Hurricane Harvey | Jury instructions | Legal malpractice | Marijuana | Mentally ill persons | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Prosecutorial misconduct | Risk-based decision-making | School safety | School violence | Sex crimes | Shootings | State jail system |
Library Call Number: L1836.85 C868h
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [103 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Evaluate the impact of Hurricane Harvey on the Texas criminal justice system, including its effect on the speed of criminal trials and litigation, criminal courts, district attorneys' ability to prosecute, and attorneys' ability to provide proper defense. Recommend any changes that could improve operational stability of state criminal justice institutions following a natural disaster and changes that would allow for a more effective response.
2. Assess developments in medical science and legal standards related to the imposition of the death penalty on defendants with serious mental illness or intellectual and developmental disabilities. Review statutorily prescribed jury instructions used during capital sentencing.
3. Study current practices for the enforcement of criminal laws against low-level possession of marijuana. Examine the use of alternative punishments and improvements to criminal enforcement mechanisms and community supervision.
4. Examine instances of prosecutorial misconduct and ineffective assistance of defense counsel. Review systemic and structural issues affecting the resolution of criminal cases.
5. Examine the legal framework surrounding sexual assault prosecutions, including statutory definitions, certain age-based offenses, and ongoing developments in evidence collection and processing.
6. Review the Texas state jail system, including its original intent, sentencing guidelines, effectiveness, and recidivism rates. Make recommendations for changes in the state jail system that will improve outcomes. (Joint charge with the House Committee on Corrections)
7. Monitor the work of the Office of Court Administration on pre-trial risk assessment tools for the Texas Judiciary, and study the use of risk assessment tools at various stages in the criminal justice process. Monitor litigation on Harris County pretrial bond practices. Monitor the implementation of the legislation passed by the 85th Legislature regarding the imposition of fines, fees, and court costs in criminal courts.
8. Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 85th Legislature.
9. Review the applicable portions of the state's penal laws and make legislative recommendations regarding whether existing protective order laws are sufficient or could be amended to include 'red flag' or mental health protective orders or whether 'red flag' or mental health protective orders should be independently created to allow law enforcement, a family member, a school employee, or a district attorney to file a petition seeking removal of firearms from a potentially dangerous person and providing for mental health treatment for the potentially dangerous person, while preserving the fundamental rights of the Second Amendment and ensuring due process.
10. Examine current statutes designed to protect minors from accessing firearms without proper supervision and make recommendations to ensure responsible and safe firearm storage, including enhancing the penalty to a felony when unauthorized access results in death or bodily injury.
Committee: Senate State Affairs
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Abortion | Attorney General of Texas | Court costs and fees | Emergency communications | Emergency management | Evacuation routes | Fees | Freedom of religion | Freedom of speech | Gun control | Higher education | Human trafficking | Natural disasters | Penalties and sentences (Criminal justice) | Price gouging | Public retirement systems | Theft |
Library Call Number: L1836.85 ST29a
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [71 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Review the interaction between federal, state, and local agencies in charge of responding to natural disasters. Examine emergency situation operations, including evacuation routes and procedures, and the efficient use of Disaster Recovery Centers. Make recommendations to ensure emergency management officials have the tools and authority necessary to promptly and appropriately respond to disaster areas and alert citizens to potential threats.
2. Study and make recommendations on the benefit of the state maintaining a single, web-based source of comprehensive information that outlines the State Emergency Operations during times of disaster.
3. Review the Attorney General's efforts related to price-gouging and identify existing issues with current law, if any, that could be remedied to further protect Texans during times of disaster.
4. Review laws related to looting crimes. Examine whether current penalties and enhancements are sufficient to deter looting crimes during a disaster.
5. Second Amendment: Review local ordinances imposed on sellers and venues that affect a person's rights under the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution. Examine state and local regulations and restrictions regarding the carrying of weapons during a natural disaster. Make recommendations on whether any legislation is needed to address the regulatory barriers to the full exercise of the Second Amendment rights of citizens.
6. Pensions: Examine and assess public pension systems in Texas. Specifically, review and assess (1) the different types of retirement plans; (2) the actuarial assumptions used by retirement systems to value their liabilities and the consequences of amending those assumptions; (3) retirement systems' investment practices and performance; and (4) the adequacy of financial disclosures including asset returns and fees. Make recommendations to ensure public pension system retirees' benefits are preserved and protected.
7. Attorney General Jurisdiction: Examine the Attorney General's jurisdiction on issues of alleged violations of state laws regarding abortion and multi -jurisdictional human trafficking cases. Make recommendations to ensure uniform enforcement across the state.
8. Court Fees: Examine the structure of court fees and make recommendations to ensure statutory filing fees and court costs are appropriate and justified. Provide reeommendations for proper agency oversight of fee collection.
9. Campus Free Speech: Ascertain any restrictions on Freedom of Speech rights that Texas students face in expressing their views on campus along with freedoms of the press, religion, and assembly. Recommend policy changes that protect First Amendment rights and enhance the free speech environment on campus.
10. Religious Liberty: Monitor the implementation of legislation that protects citizens' religious freedoms, including Senate Bill 24 (sermon safeguard) and House Bill 555 (religious liberty of county clerks), and make recommendations for any legislation needed to ensure that citizens' religious freedoms are not eroded by local ordinances or state or federal law.
11. Monitoring: Monitor the implementation of legislation addressed by the Senate Committee on State Affairs, 85th R.S., and make recommendations for any legislation needed to improve, enhance, and/ or complete implementation. Specifically, monitor the following: Implementation of Senate Bill 2190, relating to the public retirement systems of certain municipalities; • Implementation of House Bill 3158, relating to the retirement systems for and the provision of other benefits to police and firefighters in certain municipalities; • Implementation of House Bill 3976, relating to the administration of and benefits payable under the Texas Public School Retired Employees Group Benefits Act; and • Implementation of Senate Bill 16, relating to decreasing the fee for the issuance of a license to carry a handgun.
Committee: Senate Violence in Schools & School Security, Select
Title: Interim Report
Subjects: Gun control | Guns | Mentally ill persons | Protective orders | School buildings | School safety | School violence |
Library Call Number: L1836.84
Session: 85th R.S. (2017)
Online version: View report [32 pages]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Improve the infrastructure and design of Texas schools to reduce security threats, and discuss various proposals to harden school facilities, including limiting access points, improving screening and detecting of weapons, retrofitting school facilities with improved locks, emergency alarm systems, and monitoring cameras .
2. Study school security options and resources, including, but not limited to, the school marshal program, school police officerss, armed school personnel, the Texas School Safety Center, and other training programs to determine what improvements can be made to provide school districts and charter schools with more robust security options.
3. Examine the root cause of mass murder in schools including, but not limited to, risk factors such as mental health, substance use disorders, anger management, social isolation, the impact of high intensity media coverage - the so-called "glorification" of school shooters - to determine the effect on copycat shootings, and the desensitization to violence resulting from video games, music, film, and social media. Recommend strategies to early identify and intercept high-risk students, as well as strategies to promote healthy school culture, including character education and community support initiatives.
4. Examine whether current protective order laws are sufficient or whether the merits of Extreme Risk Protective Orders, or "Red Flag" laws, should be considered for seeking a temporary removal of firearms from a person who poses an immediate danger to themselves or others, only after legal due process is provided with a burden of proof sufficient to protect Second Amendment rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution.
Committee: House Public Safety
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: House Committee on Public Safety, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1998 : a report to the House of Representatives, 76th Texas Legislature.
Subjects: Gun control | Gun laws | Nuisance abatement | One call to dig program | One-Call Board of Texas | Peace officers |
Library Call Number: L1836.75 p96h
Session: 75th R.S. (1997)
Online version: View report [31 pages  File size: 1,294 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Conduct active oversight of agencies under the committee's jurisdiction.
2. Examine the laws and procedures under which peace officers are commissioned. Assess whether changes would improve the efficiency and consistency of the commissioning and enforcement efforts.
3. Actively monitor implementation of the Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety Act.
4. Examine issues related to safety within and around shooting ranges.
Committee: House Public Safety
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: Committee on Public Safety, Texas House of Representatives interim report, 1992 : a report to the House of Representatives, 73rd Texas Legislature.
Subjects: 911 emergency telephone service | At-risk youth | Cellular telephones | Concealed weapons | Gangs | Gun control | Gun laws | Guns | Homeland security | Law enforcement | Law Enforcement, Texas Commission on | Liability | Peace officers | Police officers | Police pursuits | Polygraph Examiners Board, Texas | Private Security Bureau, Texas | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Right to Carry Act | State buildings | Texas State Capitol |
Library Call Number: L1836.72 p96s
Session: 72nd R.S. (1991)
Online version: View report [119 pages  File size: 5,613 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. Monitor and oversee legislation enacted during the 72nd regular and Special Called Sessions that was considered by the Committee on Public Safety; Performance Audit Review Recommendations; and any agency-initiated changes.
2. Carry out budget and oversight responsibilities for all agencies, boards, and commissions listed in Rule 3, Section 27. A. Monitor and oversee documentation of salary increases. B. Verify the number and status of outcomes and outputs as identified in the Appropriations Bill (HB 1, 72nd Legislature, 1st Called Session). C. Review agencies' existing performance standards and determine whether new standards are needed.
3. Study the process by which peace officers are commissioned by public, private, and quasi-public entities and to study the conflict of jurisdictional powers and limitations of officers commissioned by entities with limited geographic boundaries.
4. Coordinate with and monitor the Criminal Jurisprudence committee's study on youth crime and gangs.
5. Study the location of the Law Enforcement Management Institute as authorized by Article 415.092, Government Code.
6. Study the feasibility of implementing and funding an emergency network for mobile phone users similar to the 911 available to general phone users.
7. Study the indemnification and civil liability of peace officers involved in incidents or accidents while carrying out in good faith the official duties of their office.
8. Study the current state and federal laws concerning the right to carry weapons by citizens and other non-commissioned peace officers and to study possible policy alternatives surrounding the issue of allowing citizens to legally carry weapons.
9. Study the current organizational status of the Capitol Police Department and study the impact that the Capitol restoration will have on the security of the Capitol.
Committee: House Public Safety
Title: Interim report
Library Catalog Title: Interim report of the House Committee on Public Safety, Texas House of Representatives, 70th Legislature.
Subjects: Biometric identification | Databases | Drug enforcement | Drug trafficking | Emergency management | Gun control | Gun laws | Guns | Handguns | Law enforcement | Overtime pay | Peace officers | Police officers | Public Safety, Texas Department of | Right to Carry Act |
Library Call Number: L1836.70 sa17
Session: 70th R.S. (1987)
Online version: View report [159 pages  File size: 5,326 kb]
Charges: This report should address the charges below.
1. To study the extent of overlap and duplication of effort of state, local, and federal narcotics law enforcement personnel.
2. To study the impact and benefits of new technological advances in the field of law enforcement, including, but not limited to automated finger print retrieval systems, and automated traffic tickets and stolen vehicle checks.
3. To study and compare commissioned law enforcement officers' salaries with cities, other states, and other state employees.
4. Study various gun licensing or permitting laws to carry firearms among the states.
5. To study procedures and emergency management that would be required in the event of a national emergency, including attack, terrorism, or other disruptions of essential governmental activity.

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