HBA-DMH H.B. 1149 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1149 By: Martinez Fischer Public Safety 2/28/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Protecting the safety of students around school crossing zones is a matter of concern and importance. Currently, peace officers commissioned by a school district do not have the authority to enforce certain traffic laws in a school crossing zone. House Bill 1149 gives peace officers commissioned by a school district this authority. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 1149 amends the Transportation Code to authorize a peace officer commissioned by the board of trustees of a school district (board) to arrest without warrant a person found committing certain traffic violations in a school crossing zone of a school in the district that commissioned the officer, if the board determines that: _the jurisdiction of such peace officers includes school crossing zones; and _enforcement in a school crossing zone is within the scope of the on-duty law enforcement activities of school district peace officers. The bill sets forth provisions regarding training requirements that must be met by a school district peace officer for the officer to use a radar or laser unit to detect or measure the speed of a motor vehicle. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.