87R440 EAS-D
 
  By: Fierro H.B. No. 521
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the establishment and use of a voluntary registry of
  individuals experiencing mental illness who waive the right to
  purchase or receive transfer of a firearm; creating criminal
  offenses.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 411, Government Code, is amended by
  adding Subchapter H-1 to read as follows:
  SUBCHAPTER H-1. VOLUNTARY REGISTRY OF INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING
  MENTAL ILLNESS WHO WAIVE RIGHT TO PURCHASE OR RECEIVE TRANSFER OF
  FIREARM
         Sec. 411.221.  DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: 
               (1)  "Firearm" has the meaning assigned by Section
  46.01, Penal Code. 
               (2)  "Licensed firearms dealer" means an individual who
  is licensed as a firearms dealer under 18 U.S.C. Section 923. 
         Sec. 411.222.  VOLUNTARY REGISTRY OF INDIVIDUALS WAIVING
  RIGHT TO PURCHASE OR RECEIVE TRANSFER OF FIREARM. The department
  shall establish and maintain a registry that identifies individuals
  who have voluntarily waived the right to purchase or receive
  transfer of a firearm under Section 411.223, except that the
  registry may not include information for an individual with respect
  to a waiver that has been revoked under Section 411.226. 
         Sec. 411.223.  WAIVER OF RIGHT TO PURCHASE OR RECEIVE
  TRANSFER OF FIREARM. (a) An individual experiencing mental
  illness may submit to the department, on a form prescribed by the
  department, a waiver of the individual's right to purchase or
  receive transfer of a firearm.
         (b)  The waiver form must require the individual to provide
  information sufficient to enable the department to verify the
  individual's identity. 
         (c)  In addition to other requirements specified by
  department rule, the waiver form must contain the following
  prominently displayed statement: 
         "BECAUSE YOU HAVE SUBMITTED THIS WAIVER, YOU MAY NOT PURCHASE
  OR RECEIVE TRANSFER OF ANY FIREARMS. YOU MAY VOLUNTARILY REVOKE
  THIS WAIVER AT ANY TIME BY SUBMITTING A REVOCATION FORM TO THE TEXAS
  DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY."
         (d)  In submitting the waiver, the individual may designate a
  third person to be notified if the individual revokes the waiver. 
         (e)  The fact that an individual has submitted a waiver under
  this section or is listed in the voluntary registry does not in
  itself prohibit the individual from possessing a firearm under
  state law. 
         Sec. 411.224.  ADDITION TO VOLUNTARY REGISTRY. Not later
  than 24 hours after the department receives the completed waiver
  form, the department shall enter the individual's name and
  identifying information in the registry. 
         Sec. 411.225.  DUTY TO ACCESS VOLUNTARY REGISTRY. Before
  transferring a firearm to an individual, a licensed firearms dealer
  shall access the voluntary registry to ensure that the individual
  is not listed in that registry, regardless of whether the
  individual presents an apparently valid license to carry a handgun
  issued under Subchapter H.
         Sec. 411.226.  REVOCATION OF WAIVER; REMOVAL FROM VOLUNTARY
  REGISTRY. (a) An individual experiencing mental illness may
  revoke a waiver under this subchapter by submitting a revocation to
  the department on a form prescribed by the department. 
         (b)  The revocation form must require the individual to
  provide information sufficient to enable the department to verify
  that the individual submitting the revocation is the same
  individual who submitted the waiver.
         (c)  Not later than 24 hours after the department receives a
  revocation form, the department shall, if applicable, notify the
  third person designated in the waiver under Section 411.223(d) that
  the department has received a revocation form.
         (d)  Subject to Subsection (e), not later than the seventh
  day after the date the department receives a revocation form, the
  department shall:
               (1)  remove all information about the individual from
  the voluntary registry; 
               (2)  destroy all records of the waiver and revocation
  forms; and
               (3)  notify the individual that all information about
  the individual was successfully removed from the voluntary
  registry. 
         (e)  The department may not remove information about an
  individual from the voluntary registry before the seventh day after
  the date the individual submitted the waiver for inclusion in the
  registry, regardless of whether a revocation of the waiver is made
  before the expiration of that period.
         Sec. 411.227.  MULTIPLE WAIVERS AND REVOCATIONS PERMITTED.
  An individual experiencing mental illness may make one or more
  waivers or revocations of waiver under this subchapter, as the
  individual considers necessary or appropriate.
         Sec. 411.228.  WAIVERS AND REVOCATIONS BY AUTHORIZED
  REPRESENTATIVE PERMITTED. A person who is authorized by law to
  represent an individual experiencing mental illness may make, as
  the authorized representative considers necessary or appropriate,
  waivers or revocations of waivers under this subchapter on behalf
  of the individual, provided that the waiver or revocation is
  considered within the scope of the representation.
         Sec. 411.229.  AVAILABILITY OF FORMS. The department shall
  make available the waiver form described by Section 411.223 and the
  revocation form described by Section 411.226:
               (1)  on the department's Internet website;
               (2)  at each county clerk's office; 
               (3)  at the location at which a licensed firearms
  dealer conducts sales or other transfers of firearms; and 
               (4)  to individuals and facilities that are licensed,
  certified, or otherwise authorized to provide mental health care
  services, for profit or otherwise, in the ordinary course of
  business or professional practice. 
         Sec. 411.230.  VOLUNTARY REGISTRY ACCESSIBILITY. The
  department shall ensure that the volunteer registry is maintained
  in a secure electronic database that:
               (1)  documents the date and time that any information
  about a specific individual is added to or removed from the
  registry;
               (2)  provides a licensed firearms dealer with real time
  access to the registry and documents the name of the specific dealer
  gaining access and the date and time that the access occurred; and 
               (3)  prevents unauthorized access to the registry.
         Sec. 411.231.  CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE OF
  INFORMATION. Information obtained by the department for the
  voluntary registry:
               (1)  is confidential and not subject to disclosure
  under Chapter 552; and
               (2)  may not be disclosed except to a licensed firearms
  dealer in connection with a prospective transfer of a firearm or to
  a law enforcement agency.
         Sec. 411.232.  OFFENSE. (a) A person commits an offense if
  the person knowingly:
               (1)  submits a waiver form under Section 411.223 to the
  department to add the name and identifying information of another
  person to the voluntary registry without the other person's
  effective consent; or
               (2)  submits a revocation form under Section 411.226 to
  the department to remove the name and identifying information of
  another person from the voluntary registry without the other
  person's effective consent. 
         (b)  An offense under this section is a state jail felony.
         Sec. 411.233.  CONSIDERATION IN LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
  PROHIBITED. A court may not consider a waiver or revocation under
  this subchapter as evidence in any legal proceeding other than in
  the prosecution of an offense under Section 46.06(a)(7), Penal
  Code, or Section 411.232 of this code. 
         Sec. 411.234.  BENEFITS. Subject to Section 411.228, a
  person may not require an individual experiencing mental illness to
  submit a waiver under this subchapter for any reason, including as a
  condition of receiving employment, housing, education, or any
  benefit or service.
         Sec. 411.235.  RULES. (a) The director shall adopt rules to
  establish and maintain the voluntary registry, including rules
  prescribing the forms necessary for submission or revocation of a
  waiver described by this subchapter. 
         (b)  The rules governing use or disclosure of information in
  the registry must be at least as stringent as the Health Insurance
  Portability and Accountability Act and Privacy Standards, as
  defined by Section 181.001, Health and Safety Code.
         SECTION 2.  Section 46.06(a), Penal Code, is amended to read
  as follows:
         (a)  A person commits an offense if the person:
               (1)  sells, rents, leases, loans, or gives a handgun to
  any person knowing that the person to whom the handgun is to be
  delivered intends to use it unlawfully or in the commission of an
  unlawful act;
               (2)  intentionally or knowingly sells, rents, leases,
  or gives or offers to sell, rent, lease, or give to any child
  younger than 18 years of age any firearm, club, or
  location-restricted knife;
               (3)  intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly sells a
  firearm or ammunition for a firearm to any person who is
  intoxicated;
               (4)  knowingly sells a firearm or ammunition for a
  firearm to any person who has been convicted of a felony before the
  fifth anniversary of the later of the following dates:
                     (A)  the person's release from confinement
  following conviction of the felony; or
                     (B)  the person's release from supervision under
  community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision following
  conviction of the felony;
               (5)  sells, rents, leases, loans, or gives a handgun to
  any person knowing that an active protective order is directed to
  the person to whom the handgun is to be delivered; [or]
               (6)  knowingly purchases, rents, leases, or receives as
  a loan or gift from another a handgun while an active protective
  order is directed to the actor; or
               (7)  is a licensed firearms dealer and sells or
  otherwise transfers a firearm to a person the dealer knows is listed
  in the voluntary registry created under Subchapter H-1, Chapter
  411, Government Code.
         SECTION 3.  Section 46.06(b), Penal Code, is amended by
  adding Subdivision (3) to read as follows:
               (3)  "Licensed firearms dealer" means a person who is
  licensed as a firearms dealer under 18 U.S.C. Section 923.
         SECTION 4.  (a) Not later than September 1, 2022, the
  Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas shall develop and
  make available the waiver and revocation forms and create the
  voluntary registry required by Subchapter H-1, Chapter 411,
  Government Code, as added by this Act.
         (b)  Section 46.06(a), Penal Code, as amended by this Act,
  applies only to a sale or other transfer of a firearm that occurs on
  or after September 1, 2022.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.