Bill Text: TX HB48 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention unit within the Department of Public Safety.
Sponsorship: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 5-3)
Status: (Passed) 2025-05-29 - Effective immediately [HB48 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB48-Enrolled.html
| H.B. No. 48 | ||
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| relating to the creation of an organized oilfield theft prevention | ||
| unit within the Department of Public Safety. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Chapter 411, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Subchapter C-1 to read as follows: | ||
| SUBCHAPTER C-1. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT | ||
| Sec. 411.035. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter: | ||
| (1) "Oil and gas equipment" means machinery, drilling | ||
| equipment, welding equipment, pipe, fittings, pumps, vehicles, or | ||
| other equipment used in the drilling or maintenance of oil and gas | ||
| wells, in the production of oil and gas, or to transport petroleum | ||
| products. | ||
| (2) "Petroleum product" has the meaning assigned by | ||
| Section 31.19(a), Penal Code. | ||
| (3) "Unit" means the organized oilfield theft | ||
| prevention unit established under this subchapter. | ||
| Sec. 411.036. ORGANIZED OILFIELD THEFT PREVENTION UNIT. | ||
| (a) The director shall create an organized oilfield theft | ||
| prevention unit to be operated by the department. | ||
| (b) The unit may investigate and arrest individuals | ||
| determined to have committed an offense under: | ||
| (1) Section 31.19, Penal Code; or | ||
| (2) Section 31.03, Penal Code, if the unlawfully | ||
| appropriated property includes oil and gas equipment. | ||
| (c) The unit shall coordinate with federal, state, and local | ||
| law enforcement agencies, attorneys representing the state, the | ||
| Railroad Commission of Texas, and any person who is a victim of an | ||
| offense described by Subsection (b) as necessary to carry out the | ||
| duties of the unit. | ||
| (d) The director shall designate a command structure within | ||
| the department to supervise the operations of the unit. | ||
| (e) The director shall adopt rules, subject to commission | ||
| approval, as necessary for the control and general administration | ||
| of the unit, including rules: | ||
| (1) governing the procurement of facilities and | ||
| equipment for the unit; | ||
| (2) regarding required training for unit personnel; | ||
| and | ||
| (3) regarding working conditions of unit personnel. | ||
| Sec. 411.037. JURISDICTION; HEADQUARTERS. (a) The unit | ||
| has statewide jurisdiction but shall operate primarily within the | ||
| designated region of the department that is adjacent to the | ||
| international border and contains the city of El Paso. The unit's | ||
| headquarters must be located in that region. | ||
| (b) The department, subject to commission approval, may | ||
| establish in any department region one or more additional regional | ||
| offices of the unit to assist in the duties of the unit. | ||
| Sec. 411.038. UNIT DUTIES. The unit, together with the | ||
| department, shall: | ||
| (1) develop and deploy to local law enforcement | ||
| agencies specialized training, resources, and policing strategies | ||
| tailored to investigating and preventing offenses described by | ||
| Section 411.036(b); | ||
| (2) conduct public outreach and awareness initiatives | ||
| to educate industry professionals and communities regarding | ||
| offenses described by Section 411.036(b); and | ||
| (3) maintain a centralized database for tracking | ||
| offenses described by Section 411.036(b) and related criminal | ||
| enterprises. | ||
| Sec. 411.039. BIENNIAL REPORT. Not later than January 1 of | ||
| each odd-numbered year, the department shall prepare and submit to | ||
| the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of | ||
| representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature | ||
| with primary jurisdiction over natural resources or criminal | ||
| justice matters a written report that: | ||
| (1) summarizes the unit's activities and evaluates the | ||
| unit's effectiveness during the preceding two-year period, | ||
| including by providing statistics regarding any arrests made by the | ||
| unit and any prosecutions that resulted from those arrests or | ||
| assets that were recovered as a result of those arrests; and | ||
| (2) provides recommendations for legislative or | ||
| administrative action to improve the effectiveness of the unit. | ||
| SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2025, the public | ||
| safety director of the Department of Public Safety of the State of | ||
| Texas shall adopt rules necessary to implement Subchapter C-1, | ||
| Chapter 411, Government Code, as added by this Act. | ||
| SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
| a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
| provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
| Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
| Act takes effect September 1, 2025. | ||
| ______________________________ | ______________________________ | |
| President of the Senate | Speaker of the House | |
| I certify that H.B. No. 48 was passed by the House on April | ||
| 24, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 141, Nays 4, 2 present, not | ||
| voting. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Chief Clerk of the House | ||
| I certify that H.B. No. 48 was passed by the Senate on May 19, | ||
| 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 30, Nays 1. | ||
| ______________________________ | ||
| Secretary of the Senate | ||
| APPROVED: _____________________ | ||
| Date | ||
| _____________________ | ||
| Governor | ||
