Tex. Gov't Code § 615.003 · Subchapter A. GENERAL PROVISIONS
APPLICABILITY.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
This chapter applies only to eligible survivors of the following individuals:
(1) an individual:
(A) elected, appointed, or employed as a peace officer by the state or a political subdivision of the state under Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure, or other law; or
(B) employed as a peace officer by a private institution of higher education, including a private junior college, that is located in this state under Section 51.212, Education Code;
(2) a paid probation officer appointed by the director of a community supervision and corrections department who has the duties set out in Section 76.002 and the qualifications set out in Section 76.005, or who was appointed in accordance with prior law;
(3) a parole officer employed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice who has the duties set out in Section 508.001 and the qualifications set out in Section 508.113 or in prior law;
(4) a paid jailer;
(5) a member of an organized police reserve or auxiliary unit who regularly assists peace officers in enforcing criminal laws;
(6) a member of the class of employees of the correctional institutions division formally designated as custodial personnel under Section 615.006 by the Texas Board of Criminal Justice or its predecessor in function;
(7) a jailer or guard of a county jail who is appointed by the sheriff and who:
(A) performs a security, custodial, or supervisory function over the admittance, confinement, or discharge of prisoners; and
(B) is certified by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement;
(8) a juvenile correctional employee of the Texas Juvenile Justice Department;
(9) an employee of the Health and Human Services Commission or Department of State Health Services who:
(A) works at the department's maximum security unit; or
(B) performs on-site services for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
(10) an individual who is employed by the state or a political or legal subdivision and is subject to certification by the Texas Commission on Fire Protection;
(11) an individual employed by the state or a political or legal subdivision whose principal duties are aircraft crash and rescue fire fighting;
(12) a member of an organized volunteer fire-fighting unit that:
(A) renders fire-fighting services without remuneration; and
(B) conducts a minimum of two drills each month, each two hours long;
(13) an individual who:
(A) performs emergency medical services or operates an ambulance;
(B) is employed by a political subdivision of the state or is an emergency medical services volunteer as defined by Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code; and
(C) is qualified as an emergency care attendant or at a higher level of training under Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code;
(14) an individual who is employed or formally designated as a chaplain for:
(A) an organized volunteer fire-fighting unit or other fire department of this state or of a political subdivision of this state;
(B) a law enforcement agency of this state or of a political subdivision of this state; or
(C) the Texas Department of Criminal Justice;
(15) an individual who is employed by the state or a political subdivision of the state and who is considered by the governmental employer to be a trainee for a position otherwise described by this section;
(16) an individual who is employed by the Department of Public Safety and, as certified by the director, is:
(A) deployed into the field in direct support of a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative, search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special operations; and
(B) given a special assignment in direct support of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction, border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special investigations;
(17) an individual who is employed by the Parks and Wildlife Department and, as certified by the executive director of the Parks and Wildlife Department, is:
(A) deployed into the field in direct support of a law enforcement operation, including patrol, investigative, search and rescue, crime scene, on-site communications, or special operations; and
(B) given a special assignment in direct support of operations relating to organized crime, criminal interdiction, border security, counterterrorism, intelligence, traffic enforcement, emergency management, regulatory services, or special investigations;
(18) a justice of the peace;
(19) a death investigator employed under Article 49.23, Code of Criminal Procedure; or
(20) a medical examiner or an employee of the medical examiner's office employed under Section 3, Article 49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 268, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1993. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 76, Sec. 5.12(b), eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 12.17, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 1049, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 874, Sec. 8, eff. Sept. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 842, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1111, Sec. 43, eff. Sept. 1, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 55 (S.B. 872), Sec. 1, eff. May 19, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 87 (S.B. 1969), Sec. 25.075, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 93 (S.B. 686), Sec. 2.31, eff. May 18, 2013.
Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1163 (S.B. 396), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2013.
Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 346 (H.B. 1526), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017.
Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.109, eff. January 1, 2025.
Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 934 (H.B. 1306), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.615.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 2bcb1f18227f385f03f98e247ce0cf1d8b78d7bfc5deadd4c3d915a67a9fefa4
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 2A.001PEACE OFFICERS GENERALLY.Printed as Article 2A.001, Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.23OFFICE OF DEATH INVESTIGATOR.Printed as Article 49.23, Code of Criminal Procedure
- Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 49.25MEDICAL EXAMINERSPrinted as Article 49.25, Code of Criminal Procedure
Education Code
Government Code
- Tex. Gov't Code § 76.002ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENTS.Printed as Section 76.002
- Tex. Gov't Code § 76.005STANDARDS FOR OFFICERS.Printed as Section 76.005
- Tex. Gov't Code § 508.001DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 508.001
- Tex. Gov't Code § 508.113PAROLE OFFICERS, SUPERVISORS: QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 508.113
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.006DESIGNATION OF CUSTODIAL PERSONNEL.Printed as Section 615.006
Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.003DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 773.003, Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.046EMERGENCY CARE ATTENDANT QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.047EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.048ADVANCED EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.049EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN--PARAMEDIC QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code
- Tex. Health & Safety Code § 773.0495LICENSED PARAMEDIC QUALIFICATIONS.Printed as Section 773.046, 773.047, 773.048, 773.049, or 773.0495, Health and Safety Code
Cited by 20 provisions
Provisions in this library whose text cites Tex. Gov't Code § 615.003. Each shows the citation as that text prints it.
Education Code
Estates Code
- Tex. Est. Code § 53.054EXEMPTION FROM PROBATE FEES FOR ESTATES OF CERTAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTERS, AND OTHERS.Printed as Section 615.003, Government Code
- Tex. Est. Code § 1053.054EXEMPTION FROM GUARDIANSHIP FEES FOR CERTAIN LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS, FIREFIGHTERS, AND OTHERS.Printed as Section 615.003, Government Code
Government Code
- Tex. Gov't Code § 421.095DEFINITIONS.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.001DEFINITION.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.004EFFECT OF AWARD.Printed as Section 615.003 or 615.024
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.007CERTAIN VOLUNTEER FIRE-FIGHTING UNITS CONSIDERED AGENTS OF POLITICAL SUBDIVISION.Printed as Section 615.003(12)
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.021ELIGIBLE SURVIVORS.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.024PAYMENT TO SURVIVORS OF MEMBERS OF TEXAS MILITARY FORCES.Printed as Section 615.003 or 615.021
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.041CONSIDERATION AND DETERMINATION OF CLAIM; COMPELLED COMPLIANCE.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.042AWARD AND PAYMENT OF ASSISTANCE.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.045RECORDS.Printed as Section 615.003
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.071APPLICABILITY.Printed as Section 615.003(1) | Section 615.003(10) | Section 615.003(15)
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.102DUTY WEAPON AND BADGE.Printed as Section 615.003(1) | Section 615.003(7)
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.103BURIAL WITH UNIFORM.Printed as Section 615.003(1) | Section 615.003(10) | Section 615.003(7)
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.121PAYMENT TO SURVIVING SPOUSE.Printed as Section 615.003(1)
- Tex. Gov't Code § 615.122PAYMENT TO SURVIVING MINOR CHILDREN.Printed as Section 615.003(1)
Labor Code
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.