Bill > HB3602

This bill, called the Thurgood Marshall Criminal Justice Reform Act, makes several changes to laws related to peace officers and the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses in Texas. Key provisions include: - Creating a new chapter in the Civil Practice and Remedies Code that allows individuals to sue peace officers who, under color of law, deprive them of rights secured by the Texas Constitution. This chapter prohibits certain defenses like qualified immunity and requires public entities to indemnify officers, except in cases where the officer was convicted of a related criminal violation. - Amending the Code of Criminal Procedure to give grand jury forepersons the authority to prevent displays of support for people involved in the prosecution of an offense, clarify the confidentiality of grand jury proceedings, and modify the rules around disclosure of grand jury information. - Requiring municipal police departments to administer an implicit bias exam to applicants for peace officer positions and set minimum passing scores, as well as impose new higher education requirements for some departments. - Prohibiting the hiring of peace officers terminated or who resigned in lieu of termination for unjustified use of deadly force. - Requiring community involvement in the negotiation of collective bargaining and meet-and-confer agreements between municipalities and police officer associations. - Amending the Penal Code to modify the justifications for using force, including requiring de-escalation attempts and proportionality to the threat, and restricting the use of deadly force.