Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB4178 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	81R6121 HLT-D
2	2	By: Christian H.B. No. 4178
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 Council 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. Subtitle B, Title 4, Government Code, is amended
12	12	by adding Chapter 415 to read as follows:
13	13	CHAPTER 415. REENTRY POLICY COUNCIL
14	14	Sec. 415.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council" means
15	15	the Reentry Policy Council.
16	16	Sec. 415.002. COUNCIL; COMPOSITION. (a) The Reentry
17	17	Policy Council is created.
18	18	(b) The council is composed of the following 33 members:
19	19	(1) the director of the criminal justice division of
20	20	the governor's office or the director's designee;
21	21	(2) the executive director of the Texas Department of
22	22	Criminal Justice or the executive director's designee;
23	23	(3) the director of the parole division of the Texas
24	24	Department of Criminal Justice or the director's designee;
25	25	(4) the director of the community justice assistance
26	26	division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or the
27	27	director's designee;
28	28	(5) the director of the rehabilitation and reentry
29	29	programs division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or
30	30	the director's designee;
31	31	(6) the director of the Texas Correctional Office on
32	32	Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments or the director's
33	33	designee;
34	34	(7) the executive director of the Texas Workforce
35	35	Commission or the executive director's designee;
36	36	(8) the executive commissioner of the Texas Youth
37	37	Commission or the executive commissioner's designee;
38	38	(9) the executive director of the Texas Juvenile
39	39	Probation Commission or the executive director's designee;
40	40	(10) the chair of the Task Force on Indigent Defense or
41	41	the chair's designee;
42	42	(11) the chair of the Texas Judicial Council or the
43	43	chair's designee;
44	44	(12) the assistant commissioner for the mental health
45	45	and substance abuse services division of the Department of State
46	46	Health Services;
47	47	(13) the commissioner of the Department of Aging and
48	48	Disability Services or the commissioner's designee;
49	49	(14) the commissioner of education of the Texas
50	50	Education Agency or the commissioner's designee;
51	51	(15) the executive director of the Texas Department of
52	52	Licensing and Regulation or the executive director's designee;
53	53	(16) the executive director of the Department of
54	54	Family and Protective Services or the executive director's
55	55	designee;
56	56	(17) the executive director of the Texas Department of
57	57	Housing and Community Affairs or the executive director's designee;
58	58	(18) the executive director of the Council on Sex
59	59	Offender Treatment or the executive director's designee;
60	60	(19) the public safety director of the Department of
61	61	Public Safety or the director's designee;
62	62	(20) the executive director of the Sheriffs'
63	63	Association of Texas or the executive director's designee;
64	64	(21) the executive director of the Texas District and
65	65	County Attorneys Association or the executive director's designee;
66	66	(22) the executive director of the Texas Criminal
67	67	Defense Lawyers Association or the executive director's designee;
68	68	(23) the executive director of Texas RioGrande Legal
69	69	Aid or the executive director's designee;
70	70	(24) the executive director of the Restorative Justice
71	71	Ministries Network of Texas or the executive director's designee;
72	72	(25) the executive director of the Texas Conference of
73	73	Urban Counties or the executive director's designee;
74	74	(26) the presiding officer of the Austin/Travis County
75	75	Reentry Roundtable or the presiding officer's designee;
76	76	(27) the presiding officer of the Bexar County
77	77	Re-Entry Roundtable or the presiding officer's designee;
78	78	(28) a representative of the Tarrant County Reentry
79	79	Initiative, appointed by the county judge of Tarrant County;
80	80	(29) the director of the City of Houston Department of
81	81	Health and Human Services or the director's designee;
82	82	(30) the presiding officer of the standing committee
83	83	of the house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
84	84	corrections issues or the presiding officer's designee;
85	85	(31) the presiding officer of the standing committee
86	86	of the senate with primary jurisdiction over corrections issues or
87	87	the presiding officer's designee;
88	88	(32) one public member who resides in Dallas County
89	89	and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
90	90	county judge of Dallas County; and
91	91	(33) one public member who resides in El Paso County
92	92	and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
93	93	county judge of El Paso County.
94	94	Sec. 415.003. DUTIES; ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The council
95	95	shall:
96	96	(1) analyze the statutory and regulatory obstacles to,
97	97	and practices that impede, the reintegration of offenders into the
98	98	community following their release or discharge;
99	99	(2) examine methods of pooling resources and revenue
100	100	streams to reduce the rate of recidivism among offenders;
101	101	(3) identify best practices that have proven to be
102	102	effective in reentry support, treatment, and intervention intended
103	103	to reduce the harmful effects of an offender's confinement on the
104	104	offender's family and community;
105	105	(4) advise the governor and the director of the
106	106	criminal justice division of the governor's office on effective
107	107	reentry policies and programs that can be funded through federal,
108	108	state, and private grants; and
109	109	(5) perform any other duties required by the Second
110	110	Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. No. 110-199).
111	111	(b) Not later than September 1 of each year, the council
112	112	shall deliver a report of the council's findings and
113	113	recommendations to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
114	114	speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing
115	115	committees of the house of representatives and the senate with
116	116	primary jurisdiction over corrections matters.
117	117	Sec. 415.004. TENURE OF MEMBERS. (a) An appointed member
118	118	of the council serves a two-year term.
119	119	(b) A member who serves on the council by virtue of the
120	120	member's office serves on the council for the period during which
121	121	the member holds that office.
122	122	Sec. 415.005. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
123	123	the council serves without compensation but, from funds
124	124	appropriated to the criminal justice division of the governor's
125	125	office, is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary
126	126	expenses incurred in the performance of official council duties as
127	127	provided by Chapter 660.
128	128	Sec. 415.006. PRESIDING OFFICER. The council shall select
129	129	from among its members a presiding officer of the council.
130	130	Sec. 415.007. MEETINGS. The council shall meet at the call
131	131	of the presiding officer.
132	132	Sec. 415.008. TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE. The
133	133	criminal justice division of the governor's office shall provide
134	134	the council with resources for:
135	135	(1) data collection, research, and analysis; and
136	136	(2) publication of the council's findings and reports.
137	137	Sec. 415.009. GRANTS AND DONATIONS. The council may accept
138	138	grants and donations from public and private entities.
139	139	Sec. 415.010. CONSTRUCTION WITH OTHER LAW. Chapter 2110
140	140	does not apply to the council.
141	141	Sec. 415.011. SUNSET PROVISION; COUNCIL ABOLISHED. The
142	142	council is subject to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless
143	143	continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the council is
144	144	abolished and this chapter expires September 1, 2013.
145	145	SECTION 2. (a) Not later than the 60th day after the
146	146	effective date of this Act, the county judge of Dallas County, the
147	147	county judge of El Paso County, and the county judge of Tarrant
148	148	County shall make the appointments required by Chapter 415,
149	149	Government Code, as added by this Act.
150	150	(b) The Reentry Policy Council shall submit the first report
151	151	required by Section 415.003, Government Code, as added by this Act,
152	152	not later than September 1, 2010.
153	153	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
154	154	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
155	155	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
156	156	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
157	157	Act takes effect September 1, 2009.