House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety - 87th R.S. (2021)

Committee Members
James White, Chair Rhetta Bowers, Vice Chair Vikki Goodwin Sam Harless Cole Hefner	Eddie Morales Jared Patterson Matt Schaefer Tony Tinderholt
Charges
• Monitor the emergency operations at the Texas-Mexico border, including whether existing emergency management resources are sufficient to address a non-natural emergency, including and especially one involving a large geographic area and multiple thousands of people.
• Review the increase in law enforcement personnel along the Texas-Mexico border. Determine whether law enforcement has sufficient resources to address the current or any anticipated circumstances. Determine whether law enforcement needs specific or individualized training or education on matters involving border security, human trafficking or other scenarios where unaccompanied minors are involved.
• Monitor the recent surge in border crossings and make recommendations for enhancing the safety and security of law enforcement, civilian populations on both sides of the Texas-Mexico border, and those entering the United States.
• Monitor the activities of the Texas State Guard and the Texas National Guard participating in Operation Lone Star. Consider any legal or logistical support that can be provided to these organizations to increase operational efficiencies in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety. Review and assess the inventory of these agencies. Make appropriate recommendations. (Joint charge with Committee on Defense and Veterans' Affairs)
• Review the ongoing development of federal laws, rules, and regulations associated with the distribution of the federal pandemic recovery funds, including reporting requirements, and make recommendations to the House Committee on Appropriations for use of the funds to respond to the Texas-Mexico border crisis.
• Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee’s jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 87th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure the intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following: HB 3712 87th R.S. relating to the training of and policies for peace officers; and SB 24 87th R.S. relating to the procedures required before a law enforcement agency hires a peace officer.
• Complete study of assigned charges related to the Texas-Mexico border issued in June 2021.
• Study incidents of law enforcement injuries and fatalities to determine those situations that pose the greatest risk to law enforcement. Make recommendations on best practices for increasing and preserving the safety and security of law enforcement officers, including those undercover.
• Compare Texas’ incident crime reporting requirements with those of other states and determine whether a standardized reporting requirement should be implemented for Texas law enforcement. Study opportunities to modernize and improve local and statewide data collection and dissemination throughout the criminal justice system to promote transparency and ensure uniform data collection processes.

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