|   | 
      
      
        |   | 
      
      
        | 
           		
			 | 
        
          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.  Section 46.15(a), Penal Code, as effective  | 
      
      
        | 
           
			 | 
        September 1, 2013, 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. |