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        |  | 
      
        |  | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | 
      
        |  | AN ACT | 
      
        |  | relating to authorizing certain attorneys representing the state to | 
      
        |  | openly carry a handgun. | 
      
        |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
        |  | SECTION 1.  Section 46.035(h-1), Penal Code, as added by | 
      
        |  | Chapter 1222 (H.B. 2300), Acts of the 80th Legislature, Regular | 
      
        |  | Session, 2007, is amended to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (h-1)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsections | 
      
        |  | (b)(1), (2), and (4)-(6), and (c) that at the time of the commission | 
      
        |  | of the offense, the actor was: | 
      
        |  | (1)  a judge or justice of a federal court; | 
      
        |  | (2)  an active judicial officer, as defined by Section | 
      
        |  | 411.201, Government Code; or | 
      
        |  | (3)  a district attorney, assistant district attorney, | 
      
        |  | criminal district attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, | 
      
        |  | county attorney, [ or] assistant county attorney, or municipal | 
      
        |  | attorney. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 2.  Section 46.035, Penal Code, is amended by adding | 
      
        |  | Subsection (h-2) to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (h-2)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) | 
      
        |  | that at the time of the commission of the offense the actor was a | 
      
        |  | district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal district | 
      
        |  | attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county attorney, | 
      
        |  | assistant county attorney, or municipal attorney. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 3.  (a)  If H.B. 3370, Acts of the 83rd Legislature, | 
      
        |  | Regular Session, 2013, does not become law, Section 46.15(a), Penal | 
      
        |  | Code, is amended to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (a)  Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to: | 
      
        |  | (1)  peace officers or special investigators under | 
      
        |  | Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, and neither section | 
      
        |  | prohibits a peace officer or special investigator from carrying a | 
      
        |  | weapon in this state, including in an establishment in this state | 
      
        |  | serving the public, regardless of whether the peace officer or | 
      
        |  | special investigator is engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's or investigator's duties while carrying the weapon; | 
      
        |  | (2)  parole officers and neither section prohibits an | 
      
        |  | officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  in compliance with policies and procedures | 
      
        |  | adopted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the | 
      
        |  | possession of a weapon by an officer while on duty; | 
      
        |  | (3)  community supervision and corrections department | 
      
        |  | officers appointed or employed under Section 76.004, Government | 
      
        |  | Code, and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a | 
      
        |  | weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  authorized to carry a weapon under Section | 
      
        |  | 76.0051, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (4)  an active judicial officer as defined by Section | 
      
        |  | 411.201, Government Code, who is licensed to carry a concealed | 
      
        |  | handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (5)  an honorably retired peace officer or federal | 
      
        |  | criminal investigator who holds a certificate of proficiency issued | 
      
        |  | under Section 1701.357, Occupations Code, and is carrying a photo | 
      
        |  | identification that: | 
      
        |  | (A)  verifies that the officer honorably retired | 
      
        |  | after not less than 15 years of service as a commissioned officer; | 
      
        |  | and | 
      
        |  | (B)  is issued by a state or local law enforcement | 
      
        |  | agency; | 
      
        |  | (6)  a district attorney, criminal district attorney, | 
      
        |  | county attorney, or municipal attorney who is licensed to carry a | 
      
        |  | concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, | 
      
        |  | who is carrying the handgun in plain view or in a concealed manner; | 
      
        |  | (7)  an assistant district attorney, assistant | 
      
        |  | criminal district attorney, or assistant county attorney who is | 
      
        |  | licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter | 
      
        |  | 411, Government Code, who is carrying the handgun in plain view or | 
      
        |  | in a concealed manner; | 
      
        |  | (8)  a bailiff designated by an active judicial officer | 
      
        |  | as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, who is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  licensed to carry a concealed handgun under | 
      
        |  | Chapter 411, Government Code; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  engaged in escorting the judicial officer; or | 
      
        |  | (9)  a juvenile probation officer who is authorized to | 
      
        |  | carry a firearm under Section 142.006, Human Resources Code. | 
      
        |  | (b)  If H.B. 3370, Acts of the 83rd Legislature, Regular | 
      
        |  | Session, 2013, becomes law, Section 46.15(a), Penal Code, is | 
      
        |  | amended to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (a)  Sections 46.02 and 46.03 do not apply to: | 
      
        |  | (1)  peace officers or special investigators under | 
      
        |  | Article 2.122, Code of Criminal Procedure, and neither section | 
      
        |  | prohibits a peace officer or special investigator from carrying a | 
      
        |  | weapon in this state, including in an establishment in this state | 
      
        |  | serving the public, regardless of whether the peace officer or | 
      
        |  | special investigator is engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's or investigator's duties while carrying the weapon; | 
      
        |  | (2)  parole officers and neither section prohibits an | 
      
        |  | officer from carrying a weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  in compliance with policies and procedures | 
      
        |  | adopted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice regarding the | 
      
        |  | possession of a weapon by an officer while on duty; | 
      
        |  | (3)  community supervision and corrections department | 
      
        |  | officers appointed or employed under Section 76.004, Government | 
      
        |  | Code, and neither section prohibits an officer from carrying a | 
      
        |  | weapon in this state if the officer is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  engaged in the actual discharge of the | 
      
        |  | officer's duties while carrying the weapon; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  authorized to carry a weapon under Section | 
      
        |  | 76.0051, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (4)  an active judicial officer as defined by Section | 
      
        |  | 411.201, Government Code, who is licensed to carry a concealed | 
      
        |  | handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (5)  an honorably retired peace officer, qualified | 
      
        |  | retired law enforcement officer, federal criminal investigator, or | 
      
        |  | former reserve law enforcement officer who holds a certificate of | 
      
        |  | proficiency issued under Section 1701.357, Occupations Code, and is | 
      
        |  | carrying a photo identification that is issued by a federal, state, | 
      
        |  | or local law enforcement agency, as applicable, and that verifies | 
      
        |  | that the officer is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  an honorably retired peace officer; | 
      
        |  | (B)  a qualified retired law enforcement officer; | 
      
        |  | (C)  a federal criminal investigator; or | 
      
        |  | (D)  a former reserve law enforcement officer who | 
      
        |  | has served in that capacity not less than a total of 15 years with | 
      
        |  | one or more state or local law enforcement agencies; | 
      
        |  | (6)  a district attorney, criminal district attorney, | 
      
        |  | county attorney, or municipal attorney who is licensed to carry a | 
      
        |  | concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code, | 
      
        |  | who is carrying the handgun in plain view or in a concealed manner; | 
      
        |  | (7)  an assistant district attorney, assistant | 
      
        |  | criminal district attorney, or assistant county attorney who is | 
      
        |  | licensed to carry a concealed handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter | 
      
        |  | 411, Government Code, who is carrying the handgun in plain view or | 
      
        |  | in a concealed manner; | 
      
        |  | (8)  a bailiff designated by an active judicial officer | 
      
        |  | as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, who is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  licensed to carry a concealed handgun under | 
      
        |  | Chapter 411, Government Code; and | 
      
        |  | (B)  engaged in escorting the judicial officer; or | 
      
        |  | (9)  a juvenile probation officer who is authorized to | 
      
        |  | carry a firearm under Section 142.006, Human Resources Code. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 4.  The change in law made by this Act applies only | 
      
        |  | to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. | 
      
        |  | An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is | 
      
        |  | governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, | 
      
        |  | and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.  For | 
      
        |  | purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the | 
      
        |  | effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred | 
      
        |  | before that date. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect on the 91st day after the | 
      
        |  | last day of the legislative session. |