Committee advances bill to license private security firms, with state board and training requirements

The House Business Affairs and Labor Committee advanced House Bill 12‑62 on a party-line procedural vote, moving the measure to the Committee on Finance with a favorable recommendation.

Sponsor Brett Mabry said the bill would create a statewide licensing board under the Department of Regulatory Agencies (DORA) to set uniform training and licensing rules for private security officers. He said the measure would require background checks, firearm and use-of-force training for armed security, registration of private security employers, and reciprocity for municipal licenses that meet the state’s minimum standards.

"What this legislation does is it regulates the private security industry much like we regulate other industries," Mabry told the committee, adding that labor organizations had joined behind the bill after industry outreach. "We…