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Texas Senate Bill SB2280

Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB2280 Compare Versions

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11 By: Ellis S.B. No. 2280
22 (In the Senate - Filed March 13, 2009; March 31, 2009, read
33 first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
44 April 29, 2009, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
55 Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 6, Nays 1; April 29, 2009,
66 sent to printer.)
77 COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 2280 By: Seliger
88
99
1010 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1111 AN ACT
1212 relating to the creation of the Reentry Policy Council to review
1313 corrections policies, programs, and procedures for inmates
1414 released into the community.
1515 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1616 SECTION 1. Subtitle B, Title 4, Government Code, is amended
1717 by adding Chapter 415 to read as follows:
1818 CHAPTER 415. REENTRY POLICY COUNCIL
1919 Sec. 415.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council" means
2020 the Reentry Policy Council.
2121 Sec. 415.002. COUNCIL; COMPOSITION. (a) The Reentry
2222 Policy Council is created.
2323 (b) The council is composed of the following 37 members:
2424 (1) the director of the criminal justice division of
2525 the governor's office or the director's designee;
2626 (2) the presiding officer of the Board of Pardons and
2727 Paroles or the presiding officer's designee;
2828 (3) the executive director of the Texas Department of
2929 Criminal Justice or the executive director's designee;
3030 (4) the director of the parole division of the Texas
3131 Department of Criminal Justice or the director's designee;
3232 (5) the director of the community justice assistance
3333 division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or the
3434 director's designee;
3535 (6) the director of the rehabilitation and reentry
3636 programs division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice or
3737 the director's designee;
3838 (7) the director of the Texas Correctional Office on
3939 Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments or the director's
4040 designee;
4141 (8) the executive director of the Texas Workforce
4242 Commission or the executive director's designee;
4343 (9) the executive commissioner of the Texas Youth
4444 Commission or the executive commissioner's designee;
4545 (10) the executive director of the Texas Juvenile
4646 Probation Commission or the executive director's designee;
4747 (11) the chair of the Task Force on Indigent Defense or
4848 the chair's designee;
4949 (12) the chair of the Texas Judicial Council or the
5050 chair's designee;
5151 (13) the assistant commissioner for the mental health
5252 and substance abuse services division of the Department of State
5353 Health Services;
5454 (14) the commissioner of the Department of Aging and
5555 Disability Services or the commissioner's designee;
5656 (15) the commissioner of education of the Texas
5757 Education Agency or the commissioner's designee;
5858 (16) the executive director of the Texas Department of
5959 Licensing and Regulation or the executive director's designee;
6060 (17) the executive director of the Department of
6161 Family and Protective Services or the executive director's
6262 designee;
6363 (18) the executive director of the Texas Department of
6464 Housing and Community Affairs or the executive director's designee;
6565 (19) the executive director of the Council on Sex
6666 Offender Treatment or the executive director's designee;
6767 (20) the public safety director of the Department of
6868 Public Safety or the director's designee;
6969 (21) the director of the child support division of the
7070 office of the attorney general or the director's designee;
7171 (22) the executive director of the Sheriffs'
7272 Association of Texas or the executive director's designee;
7373 (23) the executive director of the Texas District and
7474 County Attorneys Association or the executive director's designee;
7575 (24) the executive director of the Texas Criminal
7676 Defense Lawyers Association or the executive director's designee;
7777 (25) the executive director of Texas RioGrande Legal
7878 Aid or the executive director's designee;
7979 (26) the executive director of the Restorative Justice
8080 Ministries Network of Texas or the executive director's designee;
8181 (27) the executive director of the Texas Conference of
8282 Urban Counties or the executive director's designee;
8383 (28) the executive director of the Deep East Texas
8484 Council of Governments or the executive director's designee;
8585 (29) the director of the City of Houston Department of
8686 Health and Human Services or the director's designee;
8787 (30) the presiding officer of the standing committee
8888 of the house of representatives with primary jurisdiction over
8989 corrections issues or the presiding officer's designee;
9090 (31) the presiding officer of the standing committee
9191 of the senate with primary jurisdiction over corrections issues or
9292 the presiding officer's designee;
9393 (32) a representative of a nonprofit organization that
9494 advocates for reducing obstacles to the reintegration of offenders
9595 into the community following their release or discharge, appointed
9696 by the governor;
9797 (33) one public member who resides in Bexar County and
9898 has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the county
9999 judge of Bexar County;
100100 (34) one public member who resides in Dallas County
101101 and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
102102 county judge of Dallas County;
103103 (35) one public member who resides in El Paso County
104104 and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
105105 county judge of El Paso County;
106106 (36) one public member who resides in Tarrant County
107107 and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
108108 county judge of Tarrant County; and
109109 (37) one public member who resides in Travis County
110110 and has experience working on reentry issues, appointed by the
111111 county judge of Travis County.
112112 Sec. 415.003. DUTIES; ANNUAL REPORT. (a) The council
113113 shall:
114114 (1) analyze the statutory and regulatory obstacles to,
115115 and practices that impede, the reintegration of offenders into the
116116 community following their release or discharge;
117117 (2) examine methods of pooling resources and revenue
118118 streams to reduce the rate of recidivism among offenders;
119119 (3) identify best practices that have proven to be
120120 effective in reentry support, treatment, and intervention intended
121121 to reduce the harmful effects of an offender's confinement on the
122122 offender's family and community;
123123 (4) advise the governor and the director of the
124124 criminal justice division of the governor's office on effective
125125 reentry policies and programs that can be funded through federal,
126126 state, and private grants; and
127127 (5) perform any other duties required by the Second
128128 Chance Act of 2007 (Pub. L. No. 110-199).
129129 (b) Not later than September 1 of each year, the council
130130 shall deliver a report of the council's findings and
131131 recommendations to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the
132132 speaker of the house of representatives, and the standing
133133 committees of the house of representatives and the senate with
134134 primary jurisdiction over corrections matters.
135135 Sec. 415.004. TENURE OF MEMBERS. (a) An appointed member
136136 of the council serves a two-year term.
137137 (b) A member who serves on the council by virtue of the
138138 member's office serves on the council for the period during which
139139 the member holds that office.
140140 Sec. 415.005. COMPENSATION AND REIMBURSEMENT. A member of
141141 the council serves without compensation but, from funds
142142 appropriated to the criminal justice division of the governor's
143143 office, is entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary
144144 expenses incurred in the performance of official council duties as
145145 provided by Chapter 660.
146146 Sec. 415.006. PRESIDING OFFICER. The council shall select
147147 from among its members a presiding officer of the council.
148148 Sec. 415.007. MEETINGS. The council shall meet at the call
149149 of the presiding officer.
150150 Sec. 415.008. TECHNICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANCE. The
151151 criminal justice division of the governor's office shall provide
152152 the council with resources for:
153153 (1) data collection, research, and analysis; and
154154 (2) publication of the council's findings and reports.
155155 Sec. 415.009. GRANTS AND DONATIONS. The council may accept
156156 grants and donations from public and private entities.
157157 Sec. 415.010. CONSTRUCTION WITH OTHER LAW. Chapter 2110
158158 does not apply to the council.
159159 Sec. 415.011. SUNSET PROVISION; COUNCIL ABOLISHED. The
160160 council is subject to Chapter 325 (Texas Sunset Act). Unless
161161 continued in existence as provided by that chapter, the council is
162162 abolished and this chapter expires September 1, 2013.
163163 SECTION 2. (a) Not later than the 60th day after the
164164 effective date of this Act, the governor, the county judge of Bexar
165165 County, the county judge of Dallas County, the county judge of El
166166 Paso County, the county judge of Tarrant County, and the county
167167 judge of Travis County shall make the appointments required by
168168 Chapter 415, Government Code, as added by this Act.
169169 (b) The Reentry Policy Council shall submit the first report
170170 required by Section 415.003, Government Code, as added by this Act,
171171 not later than September 1, 2010.
172172 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
173173 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
174174 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
175175 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
176176 Act takes effect September 1, 2009.
177177 * * * * *