The bill amends the Health and Safety Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure to grant the Harris County Hospital District the authority to employ and commission peace officers. Specifically, it adds the Harris County Hospital District to the list of hospital districts that can employ peace officers, which previously included only the Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and El Paso County Hospital Districts. This change is reflected in the amended language of Section 281.057(a) of the Health and Safety Code, where the phrase "or the El Paso County Hospital District" is deleted and replaced with "or the Harris County Hospital District may employ and commission peace officers for the district."

Additionally, the bill updates Article 2A.001 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to include the Harris County Hospital District in the list of entities that can commission peace officers. This inclusion ensures that peace officers employed by the Harris County Hospital District are recognized under the same legal framework as those from other specified hospital districts. The bill is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds vote from both houses of the legislature or on September 1, 2025, if such a vote is not achieved.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 281.057 (Health and Safety Code 281)
House Committee Report: Health and Safety Code 281.057 (Health and Safety Code 281)