89R10543 JSC-F
	By: Cain	H.B. No. 4818

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the creation of an enhanced license designation for a
	license to carry a handgun and the locations in which the holder of
	that enhanced license may carry a handgun.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	SECTION 1.  Section 411.171, Government Code, is amended by
	adding Subdivision (8) to read as follows:
	(8)  "Enhanced license" means a license to carry a
	handgun that bears an enhanced license designation under Section
	411.1845.
	SECTION 2.  Section 411.174, Government Code, is amended by
	adding Subsection (b-2) to read as follows:
	(b-2)  The application must provide space for the applicant
	to:
	(1)  request an enhanced license designation described
	by Section 411.1845; and
	(2)  include sufficient proof of the applicant's
	satisfaction of the requirements of Section 411.1845, including
	the applicant's successful completion of:
	(A)  the training course under Section
	411.1845(c); and
	(B)  the demonstration of handgun proficiency
	under Section 411.1845(d), not earlier than the 180th day before
	the date of the application.
	SECTION 3.  Section 411.179, Government Code, is amended by
	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (e-1) to read as
	follows:
	(a)  The department by rule shall adopt the form of the
	license. A license must include:
	(1)  a number assigned to the license holder by the
	department;
	(2)  a statement of the period for which the license is
	effective;
	(3)  a photograph of the license holder;
	(4)  the license holder's full name, date of birth, hair
	and eye color, height, weight, and signature;
	(5)  the license holder's residence address or, as
	provided by Subsection (d), the street address of the courthouse in
	which the license holder or license holder's spouse or parent
	serves as a federal judge or the license holder serves as a state
	judge;
	(6)  the number of a driver's license or an
	identification certificate issued to the license holder by the
	department;
	(7)  the designation "VETERAN" if required under
	Subsection (e);
	(8)  any at-risk designation for which the license
	holder has established eligibility under Section 411.184; [and]
	(9)  if applicable, a protective order designation
	under Section 411.1735; and
	(10)  the designation "ENHANCED" if required under
	Subsection (e-1).
	(e-1)  The department shall include the designation
	"ENHANCED" on the face of any license under this subchapter if the
	license is issued to an applicant who:
	(1)  requests the designation; and
	(2)  includes sufficient proof of the applicant's
	satisfaction of the requirements of Section 411.1845, including the
	applicant's successful completion of:
	(A)  the training course under Section
	411.1845(c); and
	(B)  the demonstration of handgun proficiency
	under Section 411.1845(d), not earlier than the 180th day before
	the date of the application.
	SECTION 4.  Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, is
	amended by adding Section 411.1845 to read as follows:
	Sec. 411.1845.  ENHANCED LICENSE DESIGNATION; TRAINING
	COURSE. (a) In this section:
	(1)  "Commissioned security officer" has the meaning
	assigned by Section 1702.002, Occupations Code.
	(2)  "Open-enrollment charter school" means a school
	that has been granted a charter under Subchapter D, Chapter 12,
	Education Code.
	(3)  "Peace officer" has the meaning assigned by
	Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure.
	(4)  "Public security officer" has the meaning assigned
	by Section 1701.001, Occupations Code.
	(5)  "School district" means any public school district
	in this state.
	(6)  "School marshal" means a person appointed under
	Section 37.0811, Education Code.
	(7)  "School resource officer" has the meaning assigned
	by Section 1701.601, Occupations Code.
	(b)  The department shall designate a license to carry a
	handgun as an enhanced license if the applicant:
	(1)  requests the designation;
	(2)  has held a license to carry a handgun issued under
	this subchapter for at least four years;
	(3)  is at least:
	(A)  25 years of age; or
	(B)  22 years of age if first issued a license
	under Section 411.172(g);
	(4)  has not been convicted of a Class A misdemeanor or
	equivalent offense;
	(5)  has not, in the 15-year period preceding the date
	of application, been convicted of a Class B misdemeanor or
	equivalent offense or of an offense under Section 42.01, Penal
	Code, or equivalent offense;
	(6)  has not, in the 20-year period preceding the date
	of application, had a license revoked under Section 411.186(a)(3);
	(7)  has not received:
	(A)  involuntary psychiatric hospitalization;
	(B)  psychiatric hospitalization in the 20-year
	period preceding the date of application;
	(C)  inpatient or residential substance abuse
	treatment in the 20-year period preceding the date of application;
	or
	(D)  a diagnosis, in the 20-year period preceding
	the date of application, by a licensed physician that the person is
	dependent on alcohol, a controlled substance, or a similar
	substance;
	(8)  has not received a diagnosis at any time by a
	licensed physician that the person suffers or has suffered from a
	psychiatric disorder or condition consisting of or relating to any
	condition listed in Section 411.172(e)(5); and
	(9)  has successfully completed the training course
	described by Subsection (c) and the demonstration of handgun
	proficiency under Subsection (d).
	(c)  The director by rule shall establish minimum standards
	for a training course that a license holder may complete to receive
	an enhanced license designation under this section. The training
	course must:
	(1)  be administered by a qualified handgun instructor;
	(2)  include not less than 32 hours and not more than 48
	hours of instruction;
	(3)  provide classroom training in:
	(A)  de-escalation techniques;
	(B)  self-defense;
	(C)  discerning between self-defense scenarios
	and interdiction scenarios;
	(D)  the dangers and potential legal consequences
	of attempting to interdict a crime that does not pose a threat to
	the license holder;
	(E)  tactical thinking relating to cover for and
	concealment of the license holder;
	(F)  the principles of tactical movement;
	(G)  methods to conceal a handgun and methods to
	ensure the secure carrying of a concealed handgun;
	(H)  the laws pertaining to where and when a
	holder of an enhanced license may not carry a handgun in this state;
	and
	(I)  the consequences of improper use of a
	handgun; and
	(4)  provide at least 20 hours of in-person field
	instruction, including at least 16 hours on a live-fire shooting
	range, in the use of handguns, including:
	(A)  instinctive or reactive shooting;
	(B)  discerning between "shoot" and "don't shoot"
	scenarios;
	(C)  tactical shooting;
	(D)  shooting while moving;
	(E)  shooting in low-light conditions;
	(F)  tactical movement through doorways and
	hallways where an assailant may be present; and
	(G)  tactical movement into and out of rooms where
	an assailant may be present.
	(d)  To receive an enhanced license, a license holder must
	complete a physical demonstration of proficiency in the use of one
	or more handguns and in handgun safety procedures as provided by
	Section 411.188(d)(2), to be administered by a qualified handgun
	instructor. The physical demonstration of proficiency described by
	this subsection must be completed not earlier than the 180th day
	before the date of application.
	(e)  The department shall issue a renewal license without the
	enhanced license designation unless the application for renewal
	includes proof that the applicant has successfully repeated the
	demonstration of handgun proficiency described by Subsection (d)
	under the supervision of a qualified handgun instructor not earlier
	than the 180th day before the date the application for the renewal
	of the enhanced license is submitted.
	(f)  An applicant for an enhanced license is responsible for
	paying to the course provider the costs incurred by the provider in
	administering the training course and handgun proficiency
	demonstration under this section.
	(g)  The training course under Subsection (c) and the handgun
	proficiency demonstration under Subsection (d) may be administered
	in any state, district, or territory of the United States, provided
	that it is administered by a person certified by a governmental
	entity to provide instruction in the use of handguns.
	(h)  Except as otherwise provided by this section, a
	governmental entity that employs or otherwise supervises a holder
	of an enhanced license may not adopt a rule or regulation that
	prohibits the license holder from carrying a concealed, holstered
	handgun while fulfilling the license holder's official duties.
	(i)  A school district or an open-enrollment charter school
	may prohibit an employee who holds an enhanced license from
	carrying a handgun while fulfilling the license holder's duties as
	an employee of the school district or charter school only if:
	(1)  the employee is performing duties in a school
	building that is consistently staffed during classroom hours with
	at least one school resource officer or school marshal who is armed
	with a functional semiautomatic firearm loaded with at least seven
	rounds of ammunition; or
	(2)  the employee is performing duties on a school
	campus that is consistently staffed during classroom hours with at
	least two school resource officers or school marshals each of whom
	is armed with a functional semiautomatic firearm loaded with at
	least seven rounds of ammunition.
	(j)  A governmental entity may prohibit an employee who holds
	an enhanced license from carrying a handgun within an area in which:
	(1)  each accessible point of entry is controlled and
	guarded by:
	(A)  at least one peace officer or public security
	officer acting in the official discharge of the officer's duties;
	or
	(B)  at least one commissioned security officer
	acting in the official discharge of the officer's duties;
	(2)  each officer described by Subdivision (1) carries
	on the officer's person a readily dischargeable firearm that the
	officer is trained and qualified to use;
	(3)  each person entering the location is screened for
	weapons with a metal detector or magnetometer designed for security
	applications; and
	(4)  the belongings of each person entering the
	location are screened either by:
	(A)  use of an x-ray machine designed for security
	applications; or
	(B)  an exhaustive hand search.
	(k)  A governmental entity may prohibit an employee who holds
	an enhanced license from carrying a handgun within an area that:
	(1)  is not open to the public;
	(2)  is used for medical, scientific, or engineering
	purposes; and
	(3)  presents a specific danger due to the presence of:
	(A)  dangerous pathogens;
	(B)  powerful electromagnets; or
	(C)  exceptionally poisonous, corrosive, or
	combustible chemicals.
	(l)  A governmental entity may prohibit an employee who holds
	an enhanced license from carrying a handgun on premises described
	by Section 46.03(a)(3), (5), (9), (10), or (12), Penal Code.
	SECTION 5.  Section 30.06, Penal Code, is amended by adding
	Subsection (h) to read as follows:
	(h)  It is a defense to prosecution under this section that
	the license holder carries a concealed, holstered handgun and holds
	a license to carry a handgun issued by this state with an enhanced
	designation under Section 411.1845, Government Code. The defense
	provided under this subsection is unavailable if the license holder
	was personally given notice by oral communication described by
	Subsection (b) and subsequently failed to depart.
	SECTION 6.  Section 46.15, Penal Code, is amended by adding
	Subsections (s) and (t) to read as follows:
	(s)  Sections 46.03(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(4), (a)(7), (a)(8),
	(a)(11), (a)(13), (a)(14), (a-3), and (a-4) do not apply to a person
	who holds a license in this state to carry a handgun issued under
	Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, if:
	(1)  the person's license to carry a handgun bears an
	enhanced license designation under Section 411.1845, Government
	Code;
	(2)  the person carries one or more handguns, each of
	which is concealed and carried in a holster, and no other type of
	weapon to which Section 46.03 applies;
	(3)  the person is not intoxicated;
	(4)  the person does not consume alcohol while in the
	location;
	(5)  the location is not secured as described by
	Section 411.1845(j), Government Code; and
	(6)  the person does not deliberately display or reveal
	the presence of the handgun, except under circumstances that would
	justify the use of deadly force under Section 9.32 or 9.33.
	(t)  The defense provided by Subsection (s) is not available
	if:
	(1)  the portion of a premises in which firearms are
	forbidden:
	(A)  is not open to the public;
	(B)  is used for medical, scientific, or
	engineering purposes; and
	(C)  presents a specific danger due to the
	presence of:
	(i)  dangerous pathogens;
	(ii)  powerful electromagnets; or
	(iii)  exceptionally poisonous, corrosive,
	or combustible chemicals; and
	(2)  the license holder was personally given notice by
	oral communication that firearms are prohibited in that area and
	subsequently failed to depart.
	SECTION 7.  The public safety director of the Department of
	Public Safety shall adopt the rules necessary to implement Section
	411.1845, Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than July
	1, 2026.
	SECTION 8.  A qualified handgun instructor may not offer the
	training course described by Section 411.1845(c), Government Code,
	as added by this Act, or administer a handgun proficiency
	demonstration under Section 411.1845(d), Government Code, as added
	by this Act, before September 1, 2026.
	SECTION 9.  The changes in law made by this Act in amending
	Sections 30.06 and 46.15, Penal Code, apply only to an offense
	committed on or after September 1, 2026. An offense committed
	before September 1, 2026, is governed by the law in effect
	immediately before that date, and the former law is continued in
	effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense
	was committed before September 1, 2026, if any element of the
	offense occurred before that date.
	SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.