81R10280 JSC-F
By: Shapleigh S.B. No. 2176
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the timely transfer of inmates from certain county
jails to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 499, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 499.127 to read as follows:
Sec. 499.127. REQUIRED TRANSFER OF INMATES FROM CERTAIN
COUNTIES. (a) This section applies only to the department's
acceptance of an inmate who is under an order of commitment to the
department and who is confined in a county jail in a county in which
the average number of days that an inmate eligible for transfer to
the department remains in the county jail exceeds the statewide
average number of days an inmate eligible for transfer remains in a
county jail before the inmate is accepted by the department.
(b) Notwithstanding Section 499.121(c) or any other law,
the department shall accept an inmate described by Subsection (a)
not later than the date that corresponds to the statewide average
number of days an inmate eligible for transfer remains in a county
jail before the inmate is accepted by the department.
SECTION 2. Section 499.127, Government Code, as added by
this Act, applies only to the acceptance by the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice of an inmate who is confined in a county jail and
is under an order of commitment to the department that is entered on
or after the effective date of this Act. The acceptance by the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice of an inmate who is confined in
a county jail and is under an order of commitment to the department
that is entered before the effective date of this Act is governed by
the law in effect on the date the order of commitment was entered,
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.