Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2565 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R18085 MAW-F
2	2	By: Krause, Moody, Leach, Canales, et al. H.B. No. 2565
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2565:
4	4	By: Herrero C.S.H.B. No. 2565
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the creation of a commission to review certain penal
10	10	laws of this state.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. COMMISSION TO STUDY CERTAIN PENAL LAWS. (a) A
13	13	commission is created to study and review all penal laws of this
14	14	state other than criminal offenses:
15	15	(1) under the Penal Code;
16	16	(2) under Chapter 481, Health and Safety Code; or
17	17	(3) related to the operation of a motor vehicle.
18	18	(b) The commission shall:
19	19	(1) evaluate all laws described by Subsection (a) of
20	20	this section; and
21	21	(2) make recommendations to the legislature regarding
22	22	the repeal of laws that are identified as being unnecessary,
23	23	unclear, duplicative, overly broad, or otherwise insufficient to
24	24	serve the intended purpose of the law.
25	25	(c) The commission is composed of nine members appointed as
26	26	follows:
27	27	(1) two members appointed by the governor;
28	28	(2) two members appointed by the lieutenant governor;
29	29	(3) two members appointed by the speaker of the house
30	30	of representatives;
31	31	(4) two members appointed by the chief justice of the
32	32	Supreme Court of Texas; and
33	33	(5) one member appointed by the presiding judge of the
34	34	Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
35	35	(d) The officials making appointments to the commission
36	36	under Subsection (c) of this section shall ensure that the
37	37	membership of the commission includes representatives of all areas
38	38	of the criminal justice system, including prosecutors, defense
39	39	attorneys, judges, legal scholars, and relevant business
40	40	interests.
41	41	(e) The governor shall designate one member of the
42	42	commission to serve as the presiding officer of the commission.
43	43	(f) A member of the commission is not entitled to
44	44	compensation or reimbursement of expenses.
45	45	(g) The commission shall meet at the call of the presiding
46	46	officer.
47	47	(h) Not later than November 1, 2016, the commission shall
48	48	report the commission's findings and recommendations to the
49	49	governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of
50	50	representatives, the Supreme Court of Texas, the Texas Court of
51	51	Criminal Appeals, and the standing committees of the house of
52	52	representatives and the senate with primary jurisdiction over
53	53	criminal justice. The commission shall include in its
54	54	recommendations any specific statutes that the commission
55	55	recommends revising or repealing.
56	56	SECTION 2. APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS. Not later than the 60th
57	57	day after the effective date of this Act, the governor, the
58	58	lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives,
59	59	the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, and the presiding
60	60	judge of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals shall appoint the
61	61	members of the commission created under this Act.
62	62	SECTION 3. ABOLITION OF COMMISSION. The commission is
63	63	abolished and this Act expires December 31, 2016.
64	64	SECTION 4. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect
65	65	immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members
66	66	elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas
67	67	Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for
68	68	immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2015.