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            |  | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | 
         
            |  | AN ACT | 
         
            |  | relating to the carrying of handguns on the campuses of and certain | 
         
            |  | other locations associated with institutions of higher education. | 
         
            |  | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | 
         
            |  | SECTION 1.  Section 411.2031(e), Government Code, is amended | 
         
            |  | to read as follows: | 
         
            |  | (e)  An institution of higher education or [ A] private or | 
         
            |  | independent institution of higher education in this state, after | 
         
            |  | consulting with students, staff, and faculty of the institution, | 
         
            |  | may establish rules, regulations, or other provisions prohibiting | 
         
            |  | license holders from carrying handguns on the campus of the | 
         
            |  | institution, any grounds or building on which an activity sponsored | 
         
            |  | by the institution is being conducted, or a passenger | 
         
            |  | transportation vehicle owned by the institution. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 2.  Sections 411.208(a), (b), and (d), Government | 
         
            |  | Code, are amended to read as follows: | 
         
            |  | (a)  A court may not hold the state, an agency or subdivision | 
         
            |  | of the state, an officer or employee of the state, an institution of | 
         
            |  | higher education[ , an officer] or [employee of an institution of  | 
         
            |  | higher education, a] private or independent institution of higher | 
         
            |  | education that has not adopted rules under Section 411.2031(e), an | 
         
            |  | officer or employee of an institution of higher education or [ a] | 
         
            |  | private or independent institution of higher education that has not | 
         
            |  | adopted rules under Section 411.2031(e), a peace officer, a | 
         
            |  | qualified handgun instructor, or an approved online course provider | 
         
            |  | liable for damages caused by: | 
         
            |  | (1)  an action authorized under this subchapter or a | 
         
            |  | failure to perform a duty imposed by this subchapter; or | 
         
            |  | (2)  the actions of an applicant or license holder that | 
         
            |  | occur after the applicant has received a license or been denied a | 
         
            |  | license under this subchapter. | 
         
            |  | (b)  A cause of action in damages may not be brought against | 
         
            |  | the state, an agency or subdivision of the state, an officer or | 
         
            |  | employee of the state, an institution of higher education[ , an  | 
         
            |  | officer] or [employee of an institution of higher education, a] | 
         
            |  | private or independent institution of higher education that has not | 
         
            |  | adopted rules under Section 411.2031(e), an officer or employee of | 
         
            |  | an institution of higher education or [ a] private or independent | 
         
            |  | institution of higher education that has not adopted rules under | 
         
            |  | Section 411.2031(e), a peace officer, a qualified handgun | 
         
            |  | instructor, or an approved online course provider for any damage | 
         
            |  | caused by the actions of an applicant or license holder under this | 
         
            |  | subchapter. | 
         
            |  | (d)  The immunities granted under Subsections (a), (b), and | 
         
            |  | (c) do not apply to: | 
         
            |  | (1)  an act or a failure to act by the state, an agency | 
         
            |  | or subdivision of the state, an officer of the state, an institution | 
         
            |  | of higher education[ , an officer] or [employee of an institution of  | 
         
            |  | higher education, a] private or independent institution of higher | 
         
            |  | education that has not adopted rules under Section 411.2031(e), an | 
         
            |  | officer or employee of an institution of higher education or [ a] | 
         
            |  | private or independent institution of higher education that has not | 
         
            |  | adopted rules under Section 411.2031(e), or a peace officer if the | 
         
            |  | act or failure to act was capricious or arbitrary; or | 
         
            |  | (2)  any officer or employee of an institution of | 
         
            |  | higher education or private or independent institution of higher | 
         
            |  | education described by Subdivision (1) who possesses a handgun on | 
         
            |  | the campus of that institution and whose conduct with regard to the | 
         
            |  | handgun is made the basis of a claim for personal injury or property | 
         
            |  | damage. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 3.  Sections 46.035(a-2), (h), and (j), Penal Code, | 
         
            |  | are amended to read as follows: | 
         
            |  | (a-2)  Notwithstanding Subsection (a) or Section 46.03(a), a | 
         
            |  | license holder commits an offense if the license holder carries a | 
         
            |  | handgun on the campus of an institution of higher education or [ a] | 
         
            |  | private or independent institution of higher education in this | 
         
            |  | state that has established rules, regulations, or other provisions | 
         
            |  | prohibiting license holders from carrying handguns pursuant to | 
         
            |  | Section 411.2031(e), Government Code, or on the grounds or building | 
         
            |  | on which an activity sponsored by such an institution is being | 
         
            |  | conducted, or in a passenger transportation vehicle of such an | 
         
            |  | institution, regardless of whether the handgun is concealed, | 
         
            |  | provided the institution gives effective notice under Section | 
         
            |  | 30.06. | 
         
            |  | (h)  It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a), | 
         
            |  | (a-1), or (a-2)[ , or (a-3)] that the actor, at the time of the | 
         
            |  | commission of the offense, displayed the handgun under | 
         
            |  | circumstances in which the actor would have been justified in the | 
         
            |  | use of force or deadly force under Chapter 9. | 
         
            |  | (j)  Subsections (a), (a-1), (a-2), [ (a-3),] and (b)(1) do | 
         
            |  | not apply to a historical reenactment performed in compliance with | 
         
            |  | the rules of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 4.  The following laws are repealed: | 
         
            |  | (1)  Sections 411.2031(c), (d-1), (d-2), (d-3), and | 
         
            |  | (d-4), Government Code; and | 
         
            |  | (2)  Section 46.035(a-3), Penal Code. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 5.  Section 411.208, Government Code, as amended by | 
         
            |  | this Act, applies only to a cause of action that accrues on or after | 
         
            |  | the effective date of this Act.  A cause of action that accrues | 
         
            |  | before the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in | 
         
            |  | effect immediately before that date, and that law is continued in | 
         
            |  | effect for that purpose. | 
         
            |  | SECTION 6.  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 7.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |