Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB578 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	84R17227 JRR-F
2		-	By: Hinojosa, et al. S.B. No. 578
3		-	(Allen)
4		-	Substitute the following for S.B. No. 578: No.
	1	+	S.B. No. 578
5	2
6	3
7		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	4		AN ACT
9	5		relating to providing inmates of the Texas Department of Criminal
10	6		Justice with information regarding reentry and reintegration
11	7		resources.
12	8		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	9		SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 501, Government Code, is
14	10		amended by adding Section 501.0971 to read as follows:
15	11		Sec. 501.0971. PROVISION OF REENTRY AND REINTEGRATION
16	12		INFORMATION TO INMATES. (a) The department shall identify
17	13		organizations that provide reentry and reintegration resource
18	14		guides and shall collaborate with those organizations to prepare a
19	15		resource guide that is to be made available to all inmates. At a
20	16		minimum, the department shall collaborate with:
21	17		(1) nonprofit entities that specialize in criminal
22	18		justice issues;
23	19		(2) faith-based organizations; and
24	20		(3) organizations that:
25	21		(A) offer pro bono legal services to inmates; or
26	22		(B) are composed of the families and friends of
27	23		inmates.
28	24		(b) The department shall make the resource guide available
29	25		in the Windham School District libraries and in each of the
30	26		following areas of a correctional facility:
31	27		(1) peer educator classrooms;
32	28		(2) chapels;
33	29		(3) reintegration specialist offices; and
34	30		(4) any area or classroom that is used by the
35	31		department for the purpose of providing information about reentry
36	32		to inmates.
37	33		(c) The department shall make available a sufficient number
38	34		of copies of the resource guide to ensure that each inmate is able
39	35		to access the resource guide in a timely manner.
40	36		(d) The department shall identify organizations described
41	37		by Subsection (a) that provide information described by Subsection
42	38		(e) and shall collaborate with those organizations to compile
43	39		county-specific information packets for inmates. The department
44	40		shall, within the 180-day period preceding the date an inmate will
45	41		discharge the inmate's sentence or is released on parole, mandatory
46	42		supervision, or conditional pardon, provide the inmate with a
47	43		county-specific information packet for the county that the inmate
48	44		designates as the inmate's intended residence.
49	45		(e) At the minimum, a county-specific packet described by
50	46		Subsection (d) must include, for the applicable county:
51	47		(1) contact information, including telephone numbers,
52	48		e-mail addresses, physical locations, and mailing addresses, as
53	49		applicable, of:
54	50		(A) workforce offices, housing options, places
55	51		of worship, support groups, peer-to-peer counseling groups, and
56	52		other relevant organizations or agencies as determined by the
57	53		department and the collaborating organization;
58	54		(B) agencies and organizations that offer
59	55		emergency assistance, such as food and clothing banks, temporary
60	56		bus passes, low-cost medical assistance, and overnight and
61	57		temporary housing; and
62	58		(C) agencies and organizations that offer mental
63	59		health counseling; and
64	60		(2) information necessary for the inmate to apply for
65	61		governmental assistance or benefits, including Medicaid, social
66	62		security benefits, or nutritional assistance programs under
67	63		Chapter 33, Human Resources Code.
68	64		SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
	65	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	66	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	67	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 578 passed the Senate on
	68	+	April 9, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0; and that
	69	+	the Senate concurred in House amendment on May 13, 2015, by the
	70	+	following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
	71	+	______________________________
	72	+	Secretary of the Senate
	73	+	I hereby certify that S.B. No. 578 passed the House, with
	74	+	amendment, on May 5, 2015, by the following vote: Yeas 145, Nays 0,
	75	+	two present not voting.
	76	+	______________________________
	77	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	78	+	Approved:
	79	+	______________________________
	80	+	Date
	81	+	______________________________
	82	+	Governor