The Texas Legislature recently passed a bill lowering the enlistment age for the Texas State Guard (State Defense Force) from 18 to 17 years old.
Bill Name: Texas House Bill 1062
Summary: Relating to the eligibility of certain 17-year-old persons to serve as members of the Texas State Guard.
Status: (Passed) 2021-06-09 – Effective on 9/1/21
H.B. No. 1062AN ACT relating to the eligibility of certain 17-year-old persons to serve as members of the Texas State Guard.    BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:    SECTION 1.  Section 437.302, Government Code, is amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (d) to read as follows:    (b)  To serve in the Texas State Guard, a person:       (1)  must be a resident of this state for at least 180 days;       (2)  must be a citizen of the United States or a person who has been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. Section 1101 et seq.);       (3)  subject to Subsections [Subsection] (c) and (d), must be at least 17 [18] years of age and not older than 70 years of age;       (4)  must undergo a criminal history check;       (5)  must not be a registered sex offender; and       (6)  must be acceptable to and approved by the governor or adjutant general under the governor’s direction.    (d)  A person who is at least 17 years of age but younger than 18 years of age may serve in the Texas State Guard if the person:       (1)  is emancipated by marriage, court order, or other operation of law; or       (2)  provides to the adjutant general, in a form and manner prescribed by the adjutant general, the written consent of:          (A)  each of the person’s parents or legal guardians, other than a parent or legal guardian who is:             (i)  deceased;             (ii)  determined by a court to be incapacitated;             (iii)  absent at an unknown location for an indefinite period; or             (iv)  confined in jail or prison serving a term of punishment that will result in the parent or guardian being released after the person’s 18th birthday; or          (B)  for a person who is in the managing conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services or another legal entity, a representative of the department or other legal entity.    SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. ______________________________ ______________________________  President of the Senate Speaker of the House    I certify that H.B. No. 1062 was passed by the House on April 23, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 146, Nays 0, 2 present, not voting. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House    I certify that H.B. No. 1062 was passed by the Senate on May 21, 2021, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays 0. ______________________________ Secretary of the Senate APPROVED:  _____________________          Date      _____________________         Governor
Source: Legiscan
