HBA-MSH H.B. 1606 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1606 By: Puente Public Safety 3/28/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There are approximately 4,000 U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to Texas. Their duties include border surveillance, apprehension of persons who cross the international border illegally, and operation of traffic checkpoints. Local law enforcement agencies often request the assistance of border patrol agents because of the resources at their disposal, including helicopters, radar, and trained dogs. However, under current law, border patrol agents do not have the powers of arrest, search, and seizure, which limits their use to local law enforcement. House Bill 1606 grants the powers of arrest, search, and seizure to border patrol agents, upon request by a law enforcement agency. 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 1606 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to grant to a border patrol agent of the United States Department of Justice on the request of any law enforcement agency of the state or political subdivision of the state the powers of arrest, search, and seizure as to any conduct that violates a penal law of this state punishable as a felony, regardless of whether the violation may be disposed of in a criminal proceeding or a juvenile justice proceeding. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.