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HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON Mass Violence Prevention & Community Safety Texas House of Representatives Preliminary Assessment Report to Speaker Dennis Bonnen 86th Texas Legislature HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON MASS VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND COMMUNITY SAFETY TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT REPORT TO SPEAKER DENNIS BONNEN 86TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE DREW DARBY CHAIR COMMITTEE DIRECTOR LARAMIE STROUD ASSISTANT COMMITTEE DIRECTOR MARISSA PRYOR House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety December 4, 2019 Drew Darby P.O. Box 2910 Chairman Austin, Texas 78768-2910 The Honorable Dennis Bonnen Speaker, Texas House of Representatives Texas State Capitol, Rm. 2W.13 Austin, Texas 78701 Dear Mr. Speaker: The House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety of the 86th Legislature hereby submits its preliminary assessment report as required by the Speaker Proclamation issued September 4, 2019. Respectfully submitted, _______________________ Drew Darby, Chair _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Poncho Nevárez, Vice Chair César Blanco Julie Johnson _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Geanie Morrison Giovanni Capriglione Brooks Landgraf _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Four Price Charlie Geren Mike Lang _______________________ _______________________ _______________________ Armando Walle Barbara Gervin-Hawkins Joe Moody TABLE OF CONTENTS HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE ON MASS VIOLENCE PREVENTION ................................. 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................................... 6 HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE DUTIES.................................................................................... 7 ORGANIZATIONAL HEARING .................................................................................................. 8 DIGITAL MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY HEARING ........................................................................... 9 STATE / FEDERAL DATABASES HEARING ......................................................................... 12 GOALS ......................................................................................................................................... 15 ENDNOTES ................................................................................................................................. 16 APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................. 18 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On September 4, 2019, Texas House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Bonnen issued a Speaker proclamation creating the House Select Committees on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety ("House Select Committee") to develop policy recommendations for combatting mass violence and improving public safety in Texas. To date, the House Select Committee conducted three hearings in Austin, Farmers Branch, and Odessa, Texas. This report summarizes the three committee hearings conducted thus far, and begins to provide the basis for future policy recommendations. The House Select Committee heard both invited testimony on duties two and three, and public testimony on all five duties. Invited testimony included those from state agencies, law enforcement officials and first responders, local elected officials, professors, social media companies, and individuals directly impacted by the mass violence that occurred in Midland and Odessa on August 31, 2019. Public testimony included businesses, advocacy groups, students, and interested individuals. Witnesses testified to gaps in current policy or state statutes, as well as recommendations for new reforms to prevent future incidents of mass violence and to protect Texans. Witnesses also provided personal anecdotes and presented opinions on the House Select Committee's duties. Testimony addressed topics including improvements to background checks in firearm sales, additional tools for reporting and responding to suspicious activity reports, increased collaboration between digital media companies and law enforcement organizations, and improved public awareness and engagement. 5 INTRODUCTION On September 4, 2019, Speaker Bonnen appointed 13 members to the House Select Committee on Mass Violence Prevention and Community Safety (“Select Committee”): Drew Darby, Chair; Poncho Nevárez, Vice Chair; César Blanco; Giovanni Capriglione; Charlie Geren; Barbara Gervin-Hawkins; Julie Johnson; Brooks Landgraf; Mike Lang; Joe Moody; Geanie Morrison; Four Price; Armando Walle. Under House Rule 1, Section 16(b), the House Select Committee has jurisdiction over all matters pertaining to programs and policies that ensure the safety of Texas communities by reducing the occurrence and impact of mass violence, including: (1) state and local funding for research, program development and implementation, staffing resources, and training; (2) preparedness of and collaboration between state and local agencies, including nongovernmental entities, for the prevention of and response to mass violence; (3) violence prevention protocols and strategies that contribute to creating and sustaining safe climates in schools and local communities; (4) appropriate access to state and local services for communities impacted by mass violence and persons at risk for harming themselves or others; and (5) technological capabilities and solutions for threat detection, assessment, reporting, and prevention. On September 5, 2019, Speaker Bonnen issued the additional item for the House Select Committee: Conduct oversight of the implementation of any executive orders issued by the Governor that relate to issues within the committee's jurisdiction. In addition to this preliminary assessment, the House Select Committee will provide periodic progress reports to the Speaker and a final report by October 1, 2020. Video or audio of the three public hearings conducted to date are available online at the following links: September 17, 2019, Austin, Texas: https://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=44&clip_id=18176 October 10, 2019, Farmers Branch, Texas (Audio Only): https://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=44&clip_id=18235 November 7, 2019, Odessa, Texas: https://tlchouse.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=44&clip_id=18298 6 HOUSE SELECT COMMITTEE DUTIES DUTY # 1 Examine options for strengthening enforcement measures for current laws that prevent the transfer of firearms to felons and other persons prohibited by current law from possessing firearms; DUTY # 2 Examine impediments and challenges to the timely reporting of relevant criminal history information and other threat indicators to state and federal databases; DUTY # 3 Examine the role of digital media and technology in threat detection, assessment, reporting, and prevention, including the collaboration between digital media and law enforcement; DUTY # 4 Evaluate the ongoing and long-term workforce needs of the state related to cybersecurity, mental health, law enforcement, and related professionals; DUTY # 5 Evaluate current protocols and extreme risk indicators used to identify potential threats and consider options for improving the dissemination of information between local, state, and federal entities and timely and appropriate intervention of mental health professionals. SUPPLEMENTAL DUTY: Conduct oversight of the implementation of any executive orders issued by the Governor that relate to issues within the committee's jurisdiction. 7 ORGANIZATIONAL HEARING SUPPLEMENTAL DUTY: Conduct oversight of the implementation of executive orders issued by the Governor that relate to issues within the committee's jurisdiction. PUBLIC HEARING: The House Select Committee held a public hearing in Austin at the State Capitol, Capitol Extension Room, E2.010, on September 17, 2019, for organizational purposes, and to hear testimony on the implementation of Executive Order No. GA-07 issued by Governor Greg Abbott on September 5, 2019. Invited testimony included: • Lieutenant Colonel Skylor Hearn, Deputy Director of Law Enforcement Services, Texas Department of Public Safety • Colonel Steven McCraw, Director, Texas Department of Public Safety SUMMARY: Witnesses from the Texas Department of Public Safety ("DPS") testified on the agency's progress in executing the eight specific orders contained in Executive Order No. GA-07. DPS testified that the agency completed or is in the process of implementing its directives using existing resources and previously adopted policies. DPS testified that its ability to proactively detect and observe threat patterns, and respond to online threats, is limited by both resources and access. DPS would like to add resources to fusion centers, such as additional agents and analysts, to increase focus on threat assessment and monitoring activities. Additionally, the agency would benefit from greater collaboration with digital media and social networking companies to identify threats to life. Members of the House Select Committee expressed concern over the process for and timeliness by which social media companies, DPS, and other law enforcement agencies collaborate and share data. Members stressed the importance of educating and engaging the public on pre-attack indicators and violence prevention. Members expressed interest