Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Certification Standards topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances change to out-of-state police certification and adjusts 911 telecommunicator training
Summary
Senate Bill 237 passed out of committee with a committee substitute that removes a physical-agility requirement for some out-of-state officers and updates training requirements for part-time 911 telecommunicators; a member said a floor amendment will require proof of a prior agility test.
Jason Howell, presenting Senate Bill 237, told the Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection that the committee substitute removes the physical-agility requirement for an out-of-state police officer who is in good standing and who served 10 years in the state of certification, provided the separation from prior employment is no more than three months. Howell said the sub also contains updates to 911 dispatching laws intended to align training requirements for part-time telecommunicators.
“How I believe this is my first run in your committee…Senate Bill 237 just simply removes the physical activity requirement from a police officer in good standing in another state that has is employed or has been recently employed, no less than 3 months of separation,” Howell said. He described the committee sub as incorporating updates to part-time telecommunicator training that aim to avoid an unintended requirement that part-time telecommunicators complete 160 hours of training when a 40-hour virtual course would suffice.
Representative Blanton said he intends to offer a floor amendment requiring evidence that an out-of-state officer passed a physical-agility test in their state of origin. “I will be doing it as a floor amendment that I've my understanding is gonna be a friendly floor amendment…simply says that they have to show proof that they have passed a physical agility test, in their state of origin,” Blanton said.
Representative Sharp raised a concern about whether federal certifications should be treated differently from state certifications and suggested the language consider federal jurisdictional certifications as well. The committee heard questioning about training and certification details; the transcript records discussion but not the final statutory wording.
The committee agreed to the committee substitute and voted to report Senate Bill 237 favorably. Seventeen members recorded affirmative votes in the committee proceeding; no opposing or abstaining votes were recorded. Representative Tackett Lafferty said he had initial hesitancy about removing the physical-agility requirement but said feedback from constituents and the added restrictions in the bill led him to vote in favor.
Howell thanked the committee after the vote. The bill will proceed to the House floor. Representative Blanton’s announced floor amendment and Representative Sharp’s request to consider federal certifications will be matters for further consideration on the next stages of the bill.
