HBA-DMD H.B. 1968 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1968
By: Van de Putte
Public Safety
4/5/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

H.B. 1968 gives peace officers commissioned by hospital districts all the
powers, privileges, and immunities of peace officers, and authorizes them
to arrest without a warrant any person who violates a law of the state,
including enforcement of all traffic laws on streets and highways.  The
bill also enables a peace officer to assist local law enforcement should
the need arise. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 281.057, Health and Safety Code, as follows:

Sec. 281.057. EMPLOYMENT OF DISTRICT PEACE OFFICERS. (a) Sets forth that
the primary jurisdiction of a peace officer commissioned by the Dallas,
Tarrant, or Bexar County Hospital District includes each county in which
property is owned, leased, rented, or otherwise under the control of the
district that employs the peace officer. 

(b) Specifies that within the peace officer's primary jurisdiction, a peace
officer commissioned under this section is vested with all the powers,
privileges, and immunities of peace officers and authorizes the officer, in
accordance with Chapter 14 (Arrest Without Warrant), Code of Criminal
Procedure, to arrest without a warrant any person who violates a law of the
state, and to enforce all traffic laws on streets and highways. 
 
(c) Provides that outside a peace officer's primary jurisdiction, a peace
officer commissioned under this section is vested with all the powers,
privileges, and immunities of peace officers and is authorized to arrest
any person who violates any law of the state if the peace officer is
summoned by another law enforcement agency to provide assistance, is
assisting another law enforcement agency, or is otherwise performing duties
as a peace officer for the district that employs the peace officer.  

(d) Provides that a person commissioned under this section must be a
certified police officer under the requirements of the Commission on Law
Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.  Deletes the provisions which
specifies the circumstances under which a district  peace officer is
authorized to make an arrest. 

SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999.  

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.