| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 2289 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to discharging or releasing inmates from the Texas |
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| 6 | 6 | | Department of Criminal Justice at or near certain department |
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| 7 | 7 | | facilities. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 10 | 10 | | adding Section 493.029 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 493.029. LOCAL AND REGIONAL RELEASE AND DISCHARGE |
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| 12 | 12 | | PROCEDURE. (a) The department shall establish a procedure through |
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| 13 | 13 | | which an inmate being discharged from the department or being |
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| 14 | 14 | | released on parole or to mandatory supervision is discharged or |
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| 15 | 15 | | released, as applicable, from: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) the facility in which the inmate is serving the |
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| 17 | 17 | | inmate's sentence; or |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) the facility designated as a regional release |
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| 19 | 19 | | facility under Subsection (b) that is nearest to the facility in |
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| 20 | 20 | | which the inmate is serving the inmate's sentence. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) The department shall designate six or more facilities |
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| 22 | 22 | | operated by the department as regional release facilities from |
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| 23 | 23 | | which an inmate being discharged from the department or being |
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| 24 | 24 | | released on parole or to mandatory supervision may be discharged or |
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| 25 | 25 | | released, as applicable, rather than being released under |
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| 26 | 26 | | Subsection (a)(1). If the department determines that discharging |
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| 27 | 27 | | or releasing an inmate under Subsection (a) is not in the best |
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| 28 | 28 | | interest of the inmate or would threaten the safety of the public, |
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| 29 | 29 | | the department may release the inmate from a regional release |
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| 30 | 30 | | facility designated under this subsection other than the facility |
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| 31 | 31 | | described by Subsection (a)(2). |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 2. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall |
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| 33 | 33 | | establish and implement the local and regional discharge and |
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| 34 | 34 | | release procedure required by Section 493.029, Government Code, as |
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| 35 | 35 | | added by this Act, as soon as possible after September 1, 2009, and |
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| 36 | 36 | | in no event later than September 1, 2010. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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| 38 | 38 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 39 | 39 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 40 | 40 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2289 was passed by the House on April |
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| 41 | 41 | | 29, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 0, 1 present, not |
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| 42 | 42 | | voting. |
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| 43 | 43 | | ______________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 45 | 45 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2289 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 46 | 46 | | 21, 2009, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 47 | 47 | | ______________________________ |
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| 48 | 48 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 49 | 49 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 50 | 50 | | Date |
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| 51 | 51 | | _____________________ |
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| 52 | 52 | | Governor |
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