| 1 | 1 | | By: Farias, Lucio III (Senate Sponsor - Rodriguez) H.B. No. 634 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | April 10, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Criminal Justice; May 9, 2013, reported favorably by the following |
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| 5 | 5 | | vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 9, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to the verification of an inmate's veteran status by the |
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| 11 | 11 | | Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 12 | 12 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 501, Government Code, is |
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| 14 | 14 | | amended by adding Section 501.023 to read as follows: |
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| 15 | 15 | | Sec. 501.023. VERIFICATION OF INMATE VETERAN STATUS. (a) |
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| 16 | 16 | | In this section, "system" means the Public Assistance Reporting |
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| 17 | 17 | | Information System (PARIS) operated by the Administration for |
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| 18 | 18 | | Children and Families of the United States Department of Health and |
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| 19 | 19 | | Human Services. |
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| 20 | 20 | | (b) The department shall: |
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| 21 | 21 | | (1) investigate and verify the veteran status of each |
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| 22 | 22 | | inmate by using data made available from the system through the |
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| 23 | 23 | | Health and Human Services Commission; and |
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| 24 | 24 | | (2) use system data to assist inmates who are veterans |
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| 25 | 25 | | in applying for federal benefits or compensation for which the |
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| 26 | 26 | | inmates may be eligible under a program administered by the United |
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| 27 | 27 | | States Department of Veterans Affairs. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 29 | 29 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 30 | 30 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 31 | 31 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 32 | 32 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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| 33 | 33 | | * * * * * |
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