Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas House Bill HB865 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1		-	By: Blanco, Minjarez (Senate Sponsor - Rodríguez) H.B. No. 865
2		-	(In the Senate - Received from the House April 26, 2017;
3		-	May 12, 2017, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
4		-	Justice; May 19, 2017, reported favorably by the following vote:
5		-	Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 19, 2017, sent to printer.)
6		-	Click here to see the committee vote
	1	+	H.B. No. 865
7	2
8	3
9		-	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
10	4		AN ACT
11	5		relating to establishing a veterans services coordinator for the
12	6		Texas Department of Criminal Justice and a veterans reentry dorm
13	7		program for certain state jail defendants confined by the
14	8		department.
15	9		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
16	10		SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 501, Government Code, is
17	11		amended by adding Section 501.025 to read as follows:
18	12		Sec. 501.025. VETERANS SERVICES COORDINATOR. (a) The
19	13		department shall establish a veterans services coordinator to
20	14		coordinate responses to the needs of veterans under the supervision
21	15		of the department, including veterans who are released on parole or
22	16		mandatory supervision. The veterans services coordinator, with the
23	17		cooperation of the community justice assistance division, shall
24	18		provide information to community supervision and corrections
25	19		departments to help those departments coordinate responses to the
26	20		needs of veterans placed on community supervision. The veterans
27	21		services coordinator shall coordinate veterans' services for all of
28	22		the department's divisions.
29	23		(b) The veterans services coordinator, in collaboration
30	24		with the attorney general's office, shall provide each incarcerated
31	25		veteran a child support modification application.
32	26		SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 507, Government Code, is
33	27		amended by adding Section 507.034 to read as follows:
34	28		Sec. 507.034. VETERANS REENTRY DORM PROGRAM. (a) The
35	29		department, in coordination with the Texas Veterans Commission,
36	30		shall establish and administer a voluntary rehabilitation and
37	31		transition program for defendants confined in state jail felony
38	32		facilities:
39	33		(1) who are veterans of the United States armed
40	34		forces, including veterans of the reserves, national guard, or
41	35		state guard; and
42	36		(2) who suffer from a brain injury, a mental illness, a
43	37		mental disorder, including post-traumatic stress disorder, or
44	38		substance abuse, or were victims of military sexual trauma, as
45	39		defined by Section 124.002, that:
46	40		(A) occurred during or resulted from their
47	41		military service; and
48	42		(B) may have contributed to their criminal
49	43		activity.
50	44		(b) The program established under this section must:
51	45		(1) provide for investigating and verifying the
52	46		veteran status of each defendant confined in a state jail felony
53	47		facility by using data made available from the Veterans Reentry
54	48		Search Service (VRSS) operated by the United States Department of
55	49		Veterans Affairs or a similar service;
56	50		(2) be available to male defendants and, if resources
57	51		are available, female defendants;
58	52		(3) include provisions regarding interviewing and
59	53		selecting defendants for participation in the program;
60	54		(4) allow a defendant to decline participation in the
61	55		program or to withdraw from the program at any time;
62	56		(5) house defendants participating in the program in
63	57		housing that is designed to mimic the squadron structure familiar
64	58		to veterans;
65	59		(6) coordinate and provide available services and
66	60		programming approved by the department, including:
67	61		(A) individual and group peer support
68	62		programing, as appropriate;
69	63		(B) access to military trauma-informed licensed
70	64		mental health professional counseling, as appropriate;
71	65		(C) evidence-based rehabilitation programming;
72	66		and
73	67		(D) reemployment services; and
74	68		(7) to the extent feasible, not later than the 60th day
75	69		before the date a defendant participating in the program is
76	70		scheduled for release or discharge from the department:
77	71		(A) match the defendant with community-based
78	72		veteran peer support services to assist the defendant in
79	73		transitioning into the community; and
80	74		(B) transfer the defendant to a state jail felony
81	75		facility located near the defendant's home community, or the
82	76		community in which the defendant intends to reside after the
83	77		defendant's release or discharge, to begin establishing transition
84	78		relationships with community-based veteran peer support service
85	79		providers and family members.
86	80		SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
87		-	* * * * *
	81	+	______________________________ ______________________________
	82	+	President of the Senate Speaker of the House
	83	+	I certify that H.B. No. 865 was passed by the House on April
	84	+	25, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 113, Nays 30, 2 present, not
	85	+	voting.
	86	+	______________________________
	87	+	Chief Clerk of the House
	88	+	I certify that H.B. No. 865 was passed by the Senate on May
	89	+	24, 2017, by the following vote: Yeas 29, Nays 2.
	90	+	______________________________
	91	+	Secretary of the Senate
	92	+	APPROVED: _____________________
	93	+	Date
	94	+	_____________________
	95	+	Governor