THIS WEEK IN AUSTIN: SB36 looks at border security in Texas

By Rita Cook
Correspondent
Texas Metro News

AUSTIN – Last week members of the Texas Senate looked at Senate Bill 36 meant to strengthen border security.

The Senate Committee on Border Security heard the bill that, if passed, would strengthen the state’s border security, critical infrastructure protection, and preparedness.

SB36 calls for establishing a Homeland Security Division within the Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas (DPS).

Senator Tan Parker from Flower Mound authored the bill with an eye toward cleaning up the current overlapping efforts, gaps in coordination, and inconsistencies in how intelligence is collected and shared by the now divided agencies.

The bill posits that putting both agencies under one roof with a focus toward detection and proactive response to border security, threats to critical infrastructure, and disaster management would strengthen the team and tighten up unnecessary inconsistencies.

“SB 36 ensures that Texas remains a leader in safeguarding our border, our residents, and our economic engines,” said Parker.

“I believe it strikes the right balance between providing for our security, while at the same time respecting the roles of our local and federal partners.”

The responsibilities that would be merged between DPS and Homeland Security are currently shared informally among the various divisions both locally and statewide.

A statement from the bill’s author also reads, “Under current law, DPS enforces public safety laws and provides for crime prevention and detection with multiple divisions (such as the Texas Rangers and the Texas Highway Patrol). However, there is no single division dedicated solely to planning, coordinating, and overseeing statewide homeland security activities.”

It was also related that SB 36 would provide detailed procedures for assessing and reporting on threats, organizing large-scale exercises, studying emerging technologies, and offering counsel to other state agencies on budgetary and policy matters.

By creating a singular point of responsibility within DPS, the legislation aims to minimize duplication of efforts, ensure consistent standards for security preparedness, and heighten responsiveness to emergencies and disasters.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation said former Border Patrol Agent, US Army Veteran, and TPPF Senior Fellow Ammon Blair testified at the committee hearing to “make the case for Senate Bill 36 by analyzing the evolving security crisis at the Texas-Mexico border.”

Blair explained as part of his testimony how the Mexican cartels have progressed from the days when it was just drug trafficking into what is now a “sophisticated foreign terrorist organizations that operate across multiple domains – land, air, maritime, cyber, and more.”

With the Texas-Mexico border having been a former prominent leak into the United States the past four years, a more coordinated DPS and Homeland Security coordination could be a strong message, if the bill makes it to Gov. Abbott’s desk for signature.

Rita Cook is a world traveler and writer/editor who specializes in writing on travel, auto, crime and politics. A correspondent for Texas Metro News, she has published 11 books and has also produced low-budget films.