DEPARTMENT: Government and Public Affairs
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Jeff Coyle
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City Wide
SUBJECT:
85th State Legislative Session Public Safety Briefing
SUMMARY:
The Government and Public Affairs Department (GPA) will provide a briefing on State Legislative items related to public safety.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
The Texas Legislature meets every two years in odd numbered years. The 85th Texas Legislative Session began on January 10, 2017. The City's policy priorities and legislative initiatives are codified in the City of San Antonio State Legislative Program. City Council approved the program for the 85th legislative session on September 1, 2016. The Legislative Program includes support for legislation that would improve public health and safety and maintain the ability of local officials to pass ordinances for the benefit and best interests of constituents. Each session, thousands of bills are filed but only some will pass. Bill pre-filing for the legislative session began on November 14, 2016; as of January 11, 2017, more than 1,380 bills have been filed. Last legislative session, nearly 6,500 bills were filed but only 20% of those passed. The purpose of this memo is to provide a summary of public safety related bills that have been filed.
ISSUE:
Below is a summary of some public safety related bills that have been filed for the 85th state legislative session. The Government & Public Affairs Department will work with San Antonio Police Department to monitor these bills and determine the legislative strategy in alignment with the City's State Legislative Program.
Public Education and Law Enforcement Training [SB 202 (West), SB 273 (Whitmire), SB 233 (Menendez)]
Bills related to developing and implementing additional education and training of civilians, students, and law enforcement officers on proper behavior when interacting with each other have been filed. SB 202 and 273 require instruction on interaction with law enf...
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