SB1858

The change: Government Code Section 772.0075 now defines “law enforcement agency” to include an agency of the state or a political subdivision authorized to employ peace officers, expressly including an independent school district. The existing program provides financial assistance to equip peace officers with bulletproof vests, ballistic plates and plate carriers. The bill changes the definition; it does not create the program from scratch or authorize a new category of armed employees. Final law; Existing grant-program law.

Existing conditions remain: an applicant agency must first adopt a policy on allocation, deployment and use of the vests or plates. Purchased vests or plates must meet a National Institute of Justice rifle-protection standard. Recipients must provide purchase evidence, item prices and quantities as soon as practicable, and the administering criminal justice division reports annually to the Legislative Budget Board. Eligibility does not guarantee an award or a particular amount. Program requirements, subsections (b)–(g); Final law.

Passage: the five published versions have identical operative provisions, both committees reported the bill without amendments, and the official amendment index lists none. Introduced; Senate committee; Senate-passed; House committee; Final law; Version index; Amendment index.

Compare the published text versions in the official text index. A change is not attributed to a specific amendment here without a verified record.

Independent school districts authorized to employ peace officers gain explicit inclusion in the program’s agency definition, and their officers may benefit from funded protective equipment. Applicants still face policy, purchase and reporting requirements. The act supplies no new guaranteed allocation and does not establish that a particular district received equipment or that any equipment eliminates injury risk. Final law; Existing program.

The April 28 fiscal note anticipates no significant state or local-government fiscal implication, including no significant impact identified by the Governor’s Office. It does not estimate an award per district or officer. The act makes no appropriation; the existing program may use revenue available for its purposes. Official fiscal note; Final law; Existing funding authority.