By: Wentworth S.B. No. 1066
(In the Senate - Filed February 23, 2009; March 13, 2009, read
first time and referred to Committee on Jurisprudence;
March 30, 2009, reported favorably by the following vote: Yeas 6,
Nays 0; March 30, 2009, sent to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to posttrial psychological counseling for jurors in a
criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing involving graphic
evidence or testimony.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subsection (f), Article 56.04, Code of Criminal
Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
(f) The commissioners court may approve a program in which
the crime victim liaison or victim assistance coordinator may offer
not more than 10 hours of posttrial psychological counseling for a
person who serves as a juror or an alternate juror in a criminal
[the] trial [of an offense under Section 19.02, 19.03, 21.11,
22.011, 22.021, 43.05, 43.25, or 43.251, Penal Code,] involving
graphic evidence or testimony and who requests the posttrial
psychological counseling not later than the 180th day after the
date on which the jury in the trial is dismissed. The crime victim
liaison or victim assistance coordinator may provide the counseling
using a provider that assists local criminal justice agencies in
providing similar services to victims.
SECTION 2. The heading to Section 57.003, Family Code, is
amended to read as follows:
Sec. 57.003. DUTIES [DUTY] OF JUVENILE BOARD AND VICTIM
ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR.
SECTION 3. Section 57.003, Family Code, is amended by
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
(g) The juvenile board may approve a program in which the
victim assistance coordinator may offer not more than 10 hours of
posttrial psychological counseling for a person who serves as a
juror or an alternate juror in an adjudication hearing involving
graphic evidence or testimony and who requests the posttrial
psychological counseling not later than the 180th day after the
date on which the jury in the adjudication hearing is dismissed.
The victim assistance coordinator may provide the counseling using
a provider that assists local juvenile justice agencies in
providing similar services to victims.
SECTION 4. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to a criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing for which a
jury is selected on or after the effective date of this Act. A
criminal trial or juvenile adjudication hearing for which a jury is
selected before the effective date of this Act is governed by the
law as it existed immediately before that date, and that law is
continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
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