Texas Government Code 421.084 – Fusion Centers Operating in This State: Rules and Monitoring
(a) After considering the recommendations of the Texas Fusion Center under § 421.082(b)(4) and the Texas Fusion Center Policy Council under § 421.083(c)(3), the Department of Public Safety shall adopt rules to govern the operations of fusion centers in this state, including guidelines to:
(1) for any fusion center operating in this state, establish a common concept of operations to provide clear baseline standards for each aspect of the center’s activities;
(2) inform and define the monitoring of those activities by the Texas Fusion Center Policy Council; and
(3) ensure that any fusion center operating in this state adheres to federal and state laws designed to protect privacy and the other legal rights of individuals, including 28 C.F.R. part 23 and any other law that provides clear standards for the treatment of intelligence or for the collection and storage of noncriminal information, personally identifiable information, or protected health information.
(b) The Department of Public Safety may require that a fusion center audited under applicable department rules pay any costs incurred by the policy council in relation to the audit.
Terms Used In Texas Government Code 421.084
- Baseline: Projection of the receipts, outlays, and other budget amounts that would ensue in the future without any change in existing policy. Baseline projections are used to gauge the extent to which proposed legislation, if enacted into law, would alter current spending and revenue levels.
- Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
- Rule: includes regulation. See Texas Government Code 311.005
(c) A member of the policy council may not receive compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the member’s travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660 and the General Appropriations Act.
(d) A fusion center may not receive state grant money if the center adopts a rule, order, ordinance, or policy under which the center fails or refuses to comply with rules adopted by the Department of Public Safety under Subsection (a), beginning with the first state fiscal year occurring after the center adopts the rule, order, ordinance, or policy.