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        |  | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | 
      
        |  | AN ACT | 
      
        |  | relating to the application of certain handgun license laws to | 
      
        |  | certain federal and state attorneys and to the authority of those | 
      
        |  | attorneys to carry certain weapons. | 
      
        |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
      
        |  | SECTION 1.  Section 411.179(c), Government Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (c)  In adopting the form of the license under Subsection | 
      
        |  | (a), the department shall establish a procedure for the license of a | 
      
        |  | qualified handgun instructor or of the attorney general or a judge, | 
      
        |  | justice, United States attorney, assistant United States attorney, | 
      
        |  | assistant attorney general, prosecuting attorney, or assistant | 
      
        |  | prosecuting attorney, as described by Section 46.15(a)(4), [ or] | 
      
        |  | (6), or (7), Penal Code, to indicate on the license the license | 
      
        |  | holder's status as a qualified handgun instructor or as the | 
      
        |  | attorney general or a judge, justice, United States attorney, | 
      
        |  | assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney general, | 
      
        |  | district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney. | 
      
        |  | In establishing the procedure, the department shall require | 
      
        |  | sufficient documentary evidence to establish the license holder's | 
      
        |  | status under this subsection. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 2.  Section 411.1882(a), Government Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (a)  A person who is serving in this state as the attorney | 
      
        |  | general or as a judge or justice of a federal court, as an active | 
      
        |  | judicial officer as defined by Section 411.201, as a United States | 
      
        |  | attorney, assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney | 
      
        |  | general, district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal | 
      
        |  | district attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county | 
      
        |  | attorney, or assistant county attorney, as a supervision officer as | 
      
        |  | defined by [ Section 2,] Article 42A.001 [42.12], Code of Criminal | 
      
        |  | Procedure, or as a juvenile probation officer may establish handgun | 
      
        |  | proficiency for the purposes of this subchapter by obtaining from a | 
      
        |  | handgun proficiency instructor approved by the Texas Commission on | 
      
        |  | Law Enforcement for purposes of Section 1702.1675, Occupations | 
      
        |  | Code, a sworn statement that indicates that the person, during the | 
      
        |  | 12-month period preceding the date of the person's application to | 
      
        |  | the department, demonstrated to the instructor proficiency in the | 
      
        |  | use of handguns. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 3.  Section 411.201(h), Government Code, is amended | 
      
        |  | to read as follows: | 
      
        |  | (h)  The department shall issue a license to carry a handgun | 
      
        |  | under the authority of this subchapter to a United States attorney | 
      
        |  | or an assistant United States attorney, or to an [ elected] attorney | 
      
        |  | elected or employed to represent [ representing] the state in the | 
      
        |  | prosecution of felony cases, who meets the requirements of this | 
      
        |  | section for an active judicial officer.  The department shall waive | 
      
        |  | any fee required for the issuance of an original, duplicate, or | 
      
        |  | renewed license under this subchapter for an applicant who is a | 
      
        |  | United States attorney or an assistant United States attorney or | 
      
        |  | who is an attorney elected or employed to represent the state in the | 
      
        |  | prosecution of felony cases. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 4.  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), (4), (5), and (6) [ (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)  the attorney general or a United States attorney, | 
      
        |  | assistant United States attorney, assistant attorney general, | 
      
        |  | district attorney, assistant district attorney, criminal district | 
      
        |  | attorney, assistant criminal district attorney, county attorney, | 
      
        |  | or assistant county attorney. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 5.  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 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)  the attorney general or a United States attorney, | 
      
        |  | district attorney, criminal district attorney, county attorney, or | 
      
        |  | municipal attorney who is licensed to carry a handgun under | 
      
        |  | Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (7)  an assistant United States attorney, assistant | 
      
        |  | attorney general, assistant district attorney, assistant criminal | 
      
        |  | district attorney, or assistant county attorney who is licensed to | 
      
        |  | carry a handgun under Subchapter H, Chapter 411, Government Code; | 
      
        |  | (8)  a bailiff designated by an active judicial officer | 
      
        |  | as defined by Section 411.201, Government Code, who is: | 
      
        |  | (A)  licensed to carry a handgun under Subchapter | 
      
        |  | H, 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 6.  (a)  To the extent of any conflict, this Act | 
      
        |  | prevails over another Act of the 85th Legislature, Regular Session, | 
      
        |  | 2017, relating to nonsubstantive additions to and corrections in | 
      
        |  | enacted codes. | 
      
        |  | (b)  The change in law made by this Act in amending Sections | 
      
        |  | 46.035 and 46.15, Penal Code, 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 was committed before that date. | 
      
        |  | SECTION 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2017. |