Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB2162 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R8850 HLT-F
2	2	By: Turner of Harris H.B. No. 2162
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to the creation of the Reentry Policy Task Force to review
8	8	corrections policies, programs, and procedures for inmates
9	9	released into the community.
10	10	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Chapter 501, Government Code, is amended by
12	12	adding Subchapter G to read as follows:
13	13	SUBCHAPTER G. REENTRY POLICY TASK FORCE
14	14	Sec. 501.191. DEFINITION. In this subchapter, "task force"
15	15	means the Reentry Policy Task Force.
16	16	Sec. 501.192. TASK FORCE; COMPOSITION. (a) The Reentry
17	17	Policy Task Force is created to advise the department, the Texas
18	18	Youth Commission, and the Department of State Health Services on
19	19	policies, programs, and procedures for inmates released into the
20	20	community.
21	21	(b) The task force is composed of 23 members consisting of:
22	22	(1) the executive director of the department or the
23	23	executive director's designee;
24	24	(2) the executive commissioner of the Texas Youth
25	25	Commission or the executive commissioner's designee;
26	26	(3) the commissioner of the Department of State Health
27	27	Services or the commissioner's designee;
28	28	(4) the executive commissioner of the Health and Human
29	29	Services Commission or the executive commissioner's designee;
30	30	(5) the attorney general or the attorney general's
31	31	designee;
32	32	(6) the presiding judge of the Texas Court of Criminal
33	33	Appeals or the presiding judge's designee;
34	34	(7) the executive director of the Texas District and
35	35	County Attorneys Association or the executive director's designee;
36	36	(8) the executive director of the Texas Criminal
37	37	Defense Lawyers Association or the executive director's designee;
38	38	(9) three members appointed by the governor,
39	39	consisting of:
40	40	(A) one law enforcement officer;
41	41	(B) one corrections official; and
42	42	(C) one person who has been a victim of crime;
43	43	(10) six members appointed by the lieutenant governor,
44	44	consisting of:
45	45	(A) three members of the senate;
46	46	(B) one person who specializes in issues related
47	47	to halfway houses and the reintegration of inmates;
48	48	(C) one representative of a nonprofit entity
49	49	involved with the reintegration of inmates; and
50	50	(D) one district attorney or the district
51	51	attorney's designee; and
52	52	(11) six members appointed by the speaker of the house
53	53	of representatives, consisting of:
54	54	(A) three members of the house of
55	55	representatives;
56	56	(B) one representative of a faith-based
57	57	organization involved with the reintegration of inmates;
58	58	(C) one person who was convicted of a criminal
59	59	offense in this state; and
60	60	(D) one mental health and substance abuse
61	61	official.
62	62	Sec. 501.193. DUTIES; ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The task force
63	63	shall:
64	64	(1) review corrections policies, programs, and
65	65	procedures to ensure that they have as their primary purpose public
66	66	safety;
67	67	(2) establish goals for reducing the rate of
68	68	recidivism among former inmates;
69	69	(3) make recommendations concerning the coordination
70	70	of reentry programs and services for former inmates to help those
71	71	inmates obtain jobs, housing, substance abuse treatment, medical
72	72	care, and mental health services following their release;
73	73	(4) identify gaps and overlapping efforts in reentry
74	74	programs and services for former inmates and recommend changes to
75	75	address those issues;
76	76	(5) identify methods to improve the coordination of
77	77	reentry programs and services, including:
78	78	(A) cross-training;
79	79	(B) the use of management information systems
80	80	accessible to partner agencies; and
81	81	(C) the use of screening procedures to assess the
82	82	specific needs of former inmates and refer those inmates to
83	83	entities that provide appropriate services;
84	84	(6) identify practices that have proven to be
85	85	effective in reentry support, treatment, and intervention;
86	86	(7) communicate regularly with local agencies and
87	87	faith-based and community organizations that provide appropriate
88	88	programs and services;
89	89	(8) encourage the increased use of family-based
90	90	treatment centers and parenting skills programs for former inmates
91	91	and, as feasible, for inmates who are within one year of being
92	92	released;
93	93	(9) review policies to ensure that correctional
94	94	facilities recruit and welcome volunteers;
95	95	(10) evaluate and make recommendations concerning the
96	96	extent to which persons who supervise inmates in a correctional
97	97	facility are in contact with persons and entities who will
98	98	supervise those inmates following their release; and
99	99	(11) include victims in the reentry process and
100	100	facilitate dialogue between former inmates and victims who are
101	101	willing to communicate with those inmates.
102	102	(b) Not later than September 1 of each calendar year, the
103	103	task force shall deliver a report of the task force's findings and
104	104	recommendations to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
105	105	speaker of the house of representatives, the standing committees of
106	106	each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over
107	107	criminal justice matters, the executive director of the department,
108	108	the executive commissioner of the Texas Youth Commission, and the
109	109	commissioner of the Department of State Health Services.
110	110	Sec. 501.194. TENURE OF MEMBERS. (a) An appointed member
111	111	of the task force serves at the pleasure of the appointing officer.
112	112	(b) A member who serves on the task force by virtue of the
113	113	member's office serves on the task force so long as the member holds
114	114	that office.
115	115	Sec. 501.195. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
116	116	the task force serves without compensation but is entitled to
117	117	reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the
118	118	performance of official task force duties out of funds appropriated
119	119	to the department for that purpose.
120	120	Sec. 501.196. OFFICERS. (a) The speaker of the house of
121	121	representatives shall designate a member of the task force to serve
122	122	as chairperson of the task force. The lieutenant governor shall
123	123	designate a member to serve as vice-chairperson of the task force.
124	124	The task force shall elect any other officers from among its
125	125	members.
126	126	(b) Each officer of the task force serves for a term of one
127	127	year.
128	128	(c) The task force shall fill a vacancy in a task force
129	129	office for the unexpired term.
130	130	Sec. 501.197. MEETINGS. The task force shall meet at the
131	131	call of the chairperson.
132	132	Sec. 501.198. GRANTS AND DONATIONS. The task force may
133	133	accept grants and donations from public and private entities.
134	134	Sec. 501.199. SUNSET PROVISION. The task force is subject
135	135	to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless continued in existence as
136	136	provided by that chapter, the task force is abolished and this
137	137	subchapter expires September 1, 2021.
138	138	SECTION 2. (a) Not later than the 60th day after the
139	139	effective date of this Act, the governor, the lieutenant governor,
140	140	and the speaker of the house of representatives shall make the
141	141	appointments required by Section 501.192, Government Code, as added
142	142	by this Act.
143	143	(b) The chairperson of the Reentry Policy Task Force shall
144	144	convene the first meeting of the task force under Section 501.197,
145	145	Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than December 1,
146	146	2009.
147	147	(c) The Reentry Policy Task Force shall submit the first
148	148	report required by Section 501.193, Government Code, as added by
149	149	this Act, not later than September 1, 2011.
150	150	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
151	151	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
152	152	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
153	153	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
154	154	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.