S.B. No. 434 amends the Health and Safety Code to grant the Harris County Hospital District the authority to employ and commission peace officers, aligning it with similar provisions for other county hospital districts such as Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and El Paso. Specifically, the bill modifies Section 281.057(a) by inserting the Harris County Hospital District into the list of districts authorized to employ peace officers, while deleting the reference to El Paso County Hospital District. Additionally, Article 2A.001 of the Code of Criminal Procedure is updated to include the Harris County Hospital District in the list of entities that can commission peace officers under Section 281.057.

The bill is set to take effect immediately upon receiving a two-thirds majority vote from both houses of the Texas Legislature, or on September 1, 2025, if it does not achieve that threshold. The legislation passed the Senate with a vote of 30-1 and the House with a vote of 99-23, with one member present but not voting.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 281.057 (Health and Safety Code 281)
Senate Committee Report: Health and Safety Code 281.057 (Health and Safety Code 281)
Engrossed: 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)
Enrolled: Health and Safety Code 281.057 (Health and Safety Code 281)