House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety - 86th R.S. (2019)

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Committee Members

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Charges

• Monitor the agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction and oversee the implementation of relevant legislation passed by the 86th Legislature. Conduct active oversight of all associated rulemaking and other governmental actions taken to ensure intended legislative outcome of all legislation, including the following:
  
  • HB 8, which mandates testing of rape kits and tolls the statute of limitations on those offenses until the rape kit is tested. Monitor the Department of Public Safety's policy regarding storage of sexual assault kits. Examine the process by which crime labs and law enforcement (state and local) entities comply with newly required legislative timelines.
  
  
  • HB 1590, which relates to statewide policies and practices, personnel training, evidence collection and preservation, and data collection and analysis regarding the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of sexual assault and other sex offenses. Examine any legislative recommendations that derive from the Sexual Assault Survivors' Task Force in an effort to effectively coordinate funding for services to child and adult survivors and better prevent, investigate, and prosecute incidents of sexual assault and other sex offenses.
  
  
  • Study the implementation of emergency preparedness and disaster response and recovery legislation passed during the 86th Legislature, including HB 5, the catastrophic debris management plan for local communities to expedite debris removal following a disaster; HB 6, which creates the Disaster Recovery Task Force to help facilitate specialized assistance when a disaster strikes throughout the long-term recovery period; HB 7, which requires the governor's office to compile disaster regulatory waivers needed during a disaster; HB 2305, which enhances emergency management training for personnel at the state and local levels; HB 2320, which improves public infrastructure and the hardening of utilities and facilities; HB 2325, which improves communication, disaster technology, and public information distributed during a disaster; HB 2340, which strengthens data sharing and technology used in emergency management operations; HB 2345, which creates the Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas; and HB 2794, which transfers the Texas Division of Emergency Management to the Texas A&M University System.

• Examine a revamped emergency service fee system to aid in appropriately funding the upgrade of the state's current 911 emergency communications infrastructure so that it can become more compatible with wireless and data-driven technology.

• Monitor the State Auditor's review of agencies and programs under the Committee's jurisdiction. The Chair shall seek input and periodic briefings on completed audits for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years and bring forth pertinent issues for full committee consideration.

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