By: Guillen	H.B. No. 169

	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
	AN ACT
	relating to the establishment of a grant program to provide
	financial assistance to qualified sheriff's departments in certain
	rural counties; making an appropriation.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
	ARTICLE 1.  LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS
	SECTION 1.01.  The legislature finds that:
	(1)  the legislature acting with the governor has the
	solemn duty to protect the citizens of this state;
	(2)  many rural counties of this state are experiencing
	rapid population growth due to the influx of individuals from
	metropolitan areas and from outside the state;
	(3)  many of these individuals settle in developments
	like Colony Ridge in Liberty County, leading to population growth
	and population density previously unseen in these rural counties;
	and
	(4)  the increases in population and density strain the
	resources of these rural counties to provide adequate public
	services to their citizens, particularly when it comes to providing
	law enforcement in unincorporated areas of the county.
	ARTICLE 2.  RURAL SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHORTAGE RELIEF
	SECTION 2.01.  Subchapter Z, Chapter 130, Local Government
	Code, is amended by adding Section 130.914 to read as follows:
	Sec. 130.914.  RURAL SHERIFF'S DEPUTY SHORTAGE RELIEF GRANT
	PROGRAM. (a)  In this section:
	(1)  "Grant" means a grant authorized to be awarded by
	the comptroller under the rural sheriff's deputy shortage relief
	grant program established by this section.
	(2)  "Qualified county" means a county:
	(A)  with a population of 300,000 or less; and
	(B)  for which on January 1, 2024, the ratio of the
	number of deputy sheriffs who make motor vehicle stops in the
	routine performance of the deputies' duties to the number of
	residents of the unincorporated areas of the county on that date, as
	determined by population estimates provided by the state
	demographer under Section 468.004, Government Code, is less than 15
	deputies to each 10,000 residents.
	(3)  "Qualified deputy position" means a deputy sheriff
	position in a qualified county that:
	(A)  is held or will be held by a deputy sheriff
	who makes motor vehicle stops in the routine performance of the
	deputy's duties;
	(B)  is in addition to a deputy sheriff position
	held in the county on January 1, 2024; and
	(C)  when aggregated with each other qualified
	deputy position would result in a number of deputy sheriffs who
	perform the duty described by Paragraph (A) equal to the number of
	deputies needed to meet the ratio of 15 deputies to each 10,000
	residents, calculated as described by Subdivision (2)(B) as of
	January 1, 2024.
	(b)  The comptroller shall establish and administer the
	rural sheriff's deputy shortage relief grant program to support
	the state purpose of ensuring professional law enforcement
	throughout the state by providing financial assistance to
	sheriff's departments in qualified counties.
	(c)  Not later than the 30th day after the first day of a
	qualified county's fiscal year, the county may submit an
	application for a grant to the comptroller.  The county must
	indicate in the application the number of qualified deputy
	positions the county is requesting for inclusion in the
	determination of the amount of the grant for that fiscal year and
	the number for which the county is requesting additional funds
	described by Subsection (d)(2).  A county may submit only one
	application each fiscal year.
	(d)  The comptroller shall award a grant to a qualified
	county that applies for the grant using money appropriated to the
	comptroller for that purpose.  The grant must be in the following
	amount:
	(1)  $50,000 for each qualified deputy position
	indicated by the county in the application for that fiscal year; and
	(2)  an additional $50,000 for each qualified deputy