|   | 
      
      
        |   | 
      
      
        | 
           		
			 | 
        
          A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
         | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        
          AN ACT
         | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        relating to the application of certain handgun license laws to  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        certain federal and state attorneys and to the authority of those  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorneys to carry certain weapons. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 1.  Section 411.179(c), Government Code, is amended  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        to read as follows: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (c)  In adopting the form of the license under Subsection  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        (a), the department shall establish a procedure for the license of a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        qualified handgun instructor or of the attorney general or a judge,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        justice, United States attorney, assistant United States attorney,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        assistant attorney general, prosecuting attorney, or assistant  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        prosecuting attorney, as described by Section 46.15(a)(4), [or]  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        (6), or (7), Penal Code, to indicate on the license the license  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        holder's status as a qualified handgun instructor or as the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorney general or a judge, justice, United States attorney,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney general,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney.  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        In establishing the procedure, the department shall require  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        sufficient documentary evidence to establish the license holder's  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        status under this subsection. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 2.  Section 411.1882(a), Government Code, is amended  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        to read as follows: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (a)  A person who is serving in this state as the attorney  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        general or as a judge or justice of a federal court, as an active  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        judicial officer as defined by Section 411.201, as a United States  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorney, assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        general, district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        district attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorney, or assistant county attorney, as a supervision officer as  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        defined by [Section 2,] Article 42A.001 [42.12], Code of Criminal  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Procedure, or as a juvenile probation officer may establish handgun  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        proficiency for the purposes of this subchapter by obtaining from a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        handgun proficiency instructor approved by the Texas Commission on  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Law Enforcement for purposes of Section 1702.1675, Occupations  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Code, a sworn statement that indicates that the person, during the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        12-month period preceding the date of the person's application to  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        the department, demonstrated to the instructor proficiency in the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        use of handguns. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 3.  Section 411.201(h), Government Code, is amended  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        to read as follows: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (h)  The department shall issue a license to carry a handgun  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        under the authority of this subchapter to a United States attorney  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        or an assistant United States attorney, or to an [elected] attorney  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        elected or employed to represent [representing] the state in the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        prosecution of felony cases, who meets the requirements of this  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        section for an active judicial officer.  The department shall waive  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        any fee required for the issuance of an original, duplicate, or  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        renewed license under this subchapter for an applicant who is a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        United States attorney or an assistant United States attorney or  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        who is an attorney elected or employed to represent the state in the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        prosecution of felony cases. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 4.  Section 46.035(h-1), Penal Code, as added by  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Chapter 1222 (H.B. 2300), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Session, 2007, is amended to read as follows: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (h-1)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsections  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        (b)(1), (2), (4), (5), and (6) [(4)-(6),] and (c) that at the time  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        of the commission of the offense, the actor was: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (1)  a judge or justice of a federal court; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (2)  an active judicial officer, as defined by Section  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        411.201, Government Code; or | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (3)  the attorney general or a United States attorney,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney general,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal district  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county attorney,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        or assistant county attorney. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 5.  Section 46.15(a), Penal Code, is amended to read  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        as follows: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (a)  Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (1)  peace officers or special investigators under  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, and neither section  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        prohibits a peace officer or special investigator from carrying a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        weapon in this state, including in an establishment in this state  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        serving the public, regardless of whether the peace officer or  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        special investigator is engaged in the actual discharge of the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        officer's or investigator's duties while carrying the weapon; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (2)  parole officers and neither section prohibits an  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (B)  in compliance with policies and procedures  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        adopted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        possession of a weapon by an officer while on duty; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (3)  community supervision and corrections department  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        officers appointed or employed under Section 76.004, Government  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Code, and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (B)  authorized to carry a weapon under Section  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        76.0051, Government Code; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (4)  an active judicial officer as defined by Section  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        411.201, Government Code, who is licensed to carry a handgun under  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (5)  an honorably retired peace officer, qualified  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        retired law enforcement officer, federal criminal investigator, or  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        former reserve law enforcement officer who holds a certificate of  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        proficiency issued under Section 1701.357, Occupations Code, and is  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        carrying a photo identification that is issued by a federal, state,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        or local law enforcement agency, as applicable, and that verifies  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        that the officer is: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (A)  an honorably retired peace officer; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (B)  a qualified retired law enforcement officer; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (C)  a federal criminal investigator; or | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (D)  a former reserve law enforcement officer who  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        has served in that capacity not less than a total of 15 years with  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        one or more state or local law enforcement agencies; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (6)  the attorney general or a United States attorney,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        district attorney, criminal district attorney, county attorney, or  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        municipal attorney who is licensed to carry a handgun under  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (7)  an assistant United States attorney, assistant  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        attorney general, assistant district attorney, assistant criminal  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        district attorney, or assistant county attorney who is licensed to  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        carry a handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (8)  a bailiff designated by an active judicial officer  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, who is: | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (A)  licensed to carry a handgun under Subchapter  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        H, Chapter 411, Government Code; and | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                           (B)  engaged in escorting the judicial officer; or | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
                     (9)  a juvenile probation officer who is authorized to  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        carry a firearm under Section 142.006, Human Resources Code. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 6.  (a)  To the extent of any conflict, this Act  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        prevails over another Act of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        2017, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        enacted codes. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               (b)  The change in law made by this Act in amending Sections  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        46.035 and 46.15, Penal Code, applies only to an offense committed  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        on or after the effective date of this Act.  An offense committed  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        effect on the date the offense was committed, and the former law is  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        continued in effect for that purpose.  For purposes of this section,  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        an offense was committed before the effective date of this Act if  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        any element of the offense was committed before that date. | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
               SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |