Texas 2011 - 82nd Regular

Texas House Bill HB1771 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Madden (Senate Sponsor - Harris) H.B. No. 1771
2	2	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 27, 2011;
3	3	May 3, 2011, read first time and referred to Committee on
4	4	Jurisprudence; May 18, 2011, reported favorably by the following
5	5	vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 18, 2011, sent to printer.)
6	6
7	7
8	8	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
9	9	AN ACT
10	10	relating to the establishment of the Specialty Courts Advisory
11	11	Council.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Chapter 772, Government Code, is amended by
14	14	adding Section 772.0061 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 772.0061. SPECIALTY COURTS ADVISORY COUNCIL. (a) In
16	16	this section:
17	17	(1) "Council" means the Specialty Courts Advisory
18	18	Council.
19	19	(2) "Specialty court" means:
20	20	(A) a drug court program established under
21	21	Chapter 469, Health and Safety Code;
22	22	(B) a mental health court program established
23	23	under Chapter 616, Health and Safety Code; and
24	24	(C) a veterans court program established under
25	25	Chapter 617, Health and Safety Code.
26	26	(b) The governor shall establish the Specialty Courts
27	27	Advisory Council within the criminal justice division established
28	28	under Section 772.006 to evaluate applications for grant funding
29	29	for specialty courts in this state and to make funding
30	30	recommendations to the criminal justice division.
31	31	(c) The council is composed of seven members appointed by
32	32	the governor as follows:
33	33	(1) three members with experience as judges of a
34	34	specialty court; and
35	35	(2) four members who represent the public.
36	36	(d) The members appointed under Subsection (c)(2) must:
37	37	(1) reside in various geographic regions of the state;
38	38	and
39	39	(2) have experience practicing law in a specialty
40	40	court or possess knowledge and expertise in a field relating to
41	41	behavioral or mental health issues or to substance abuse treatment.
42	42	(e) Members are appointed for staggered six-year terms. The
43	43	terms of either two or three members, as applicable, expire
44	44	February 1 of each odd-numbered year.
45	45	(f) A person may not be a member of the council if the person
46	46	is required to register as a lobbyist under Chapter 305 because of
47	47	the person's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession
48	48	related to the operation of the council.
49	49	(g) If a vacancy occurs on the council, the governor shall
50	50	appoint a person to serve for the remainder of the unexpired term.
51	51	(h) The council shall select a presiding officer.
52	52	(i) The council shall meet at the call of its presiding
53	53	officer or at the request of the governor.
54	54	SECTION 2. Not later than February 1, 2012, the governor
55	55	shall appoint the members of the Specialty Courts Advisory Council
56	56	created by Section 772.0061, Government Code, as added by this Act.
57	57	The governor shall appoint two members to terms expiring February
58	58	1, 2013, two members to terms expiring February 1, 2015, and three
59	59	members to terms expiring February 1, 2017.
60	60	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
61	61	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
62	62	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
63	63	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
64	64	Act takes effect September 1, 2011.
65	65	* * * * *