Texas 2017 - 85th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB1163 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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1	1	By: Garcia S.B. No. 1163
2	2	(In the Senate - Filed February 28, 2017; March 9, 2017,
3	3	read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
4	4	March 29, 2017, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
5	5	Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 9, Nays 0; March 29, 2017,
6	6	sent to printer.)
7	7	Click here to see the committee vote
8	8	COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 1163 By: Whitmire
9	9
10	10
11	11	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
12	12	AN ACT
13	13	relating to establishing and funding a grant program for testing
14	14	evidence collected in relation to sexual assaults or other sex
15	15	offenses; authorizing voluntary contributions.
16	16	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
17	17	SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 521, Transportation Code,
18	18	is amended by adding Section 521.012 to read as follows:
19	19	Sec. 521.012. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION FOR EVIDENCE TESTING
20	20	GRANT PROGRAM. (a) When a person applies for an original or
21	21	renewal driver's license or personal identification certificate
22	22	under this chapter, the person may contribute $1 or more to the
23	23	evidence testing grant program established under Section
24	24	772.00715, Government Code.
25	25	(b) The department shall:
26	26	(1) include space on the first page of each
27	27	application for an original or renewal driver's license or personal
28	28	identification certificate that allows a person applying for an
29	29	original or renewal driver's license or personal identification
30	30	certificate to indicate the amount that the person is voluntarily
31	31	contributing to the grant program; and
32	32	(2) provide an opportunity for the person to
33	33	contribute to the grant program during the application process for
34	34	an original or renewal driver's license or personal identification
35	35	certificate on the department's Internet website.
36	36	(c) The department shall send any contribution made under
37	37	this section to the comptroller for deposit to the credit of the
38	38	evidence testing account established under Section 772.00716,
39	39	Government Code, not later than the 14th day of each month. Before
40	40	sending the money to the comptroller, the department may deduct
41	41	money equal to the amount of reasonable expenses for administering
42	42	this section.
43	43	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 522, Transportation Code,
44	44	is amended by adding Section 522.0295 to read as follows:
45	45	Sec. 522.0295. VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTION FOR EVIDENCE TESTING
46	46	GRANT PROGRAM. (a) When a person applies for an original or
47	47	renewal commercial driver's license under this chapter, the person
48	48	may contribute $1 or more to the evidence testing grant program
49	49	established under Section 772.00715, Government Code.
50	50	(b) The department shall:
51	51	(1) include space on the first page of each
52	52	application for an original or renewal commercial driver's license
53	53	that allows a person applying for an original or renewal commercial
54	54	driver's license to indicate the amount that the person is
55	55	voluntarily contributing to the grant program; and
56	56	(2) provide an opportunity for the person to
57	57	contribute to the grant program during the application process for
58	58	an original or renewal commercial driver's license on the
59	59	department's Internet website.
60	60	(c) The department shall send any contribution made under
61	61	this section to the comptroller for deposit to the credit of the
62	62	evidence testing account established under Section 772.00716,
63	63	Government Code, not later than the 14th day of each month. Before
64	64	sending the money to the comptroller, the department may deduct
65	65	money equal to the amount of reasonable expenses for administering
66	66	this section.
67	67	SECTION 3. Subchapter A, Chapter 772, Government Code, is
68	68	amended by adding Sections 772.00715 and 772.00716 to read as
69	69	follows:
70	70	Sec. 772.00715. EVIDENCE TESTING GRANT PROGRAM. (a) In
71	71	this section:
72	72	(1) "Accredited crime laboratory" has the meaning
73	73	assigned by Section 420.003.
74	74	(2) "Criminal justice division" means the criminal
75	75	justice division established under Section 772.006.
76	76	(3) "Grant program" means the evidence testing grant
77	77	program established under this section.
78	78	(4) "Law enforcement agency" means:
79	79	(A) the police department of a municipality;
80	80	(B) the sheriff's office of a county; or
81	81	(C) a constable's office of a county.
82	82	(b) The criminal justice division shall establish and
83	83	administer a grant program and shall disburse funds to assist law
84	84	enforcement agencies or counties in testing evidence collected in
85	85	relation to a sexual assault or other sex offense.
86	86	(c) Grant funds may be used only for the testing by an
87	87	accredited crime laboratory of evidence that was collected in
88	88	relation to a sexual assault or other sex offense.
89	89	(d) The criminal justice division:
90	90	(1) may establish additional eligibility criteria for
91	91	grant applicants; and
92	92	(2) shall establish:
93	93	(A) grant application procedures;
94	94	(B) guidelines relating to grant amounts; and
95	95	(C) criteria for evaluating grant applications.
96	96	(e) The criminal justice division shall include in the
97	97	biennial report required by Section 772.006(a)(9) detailed
98	98	reporting of the results and performance of the grant program.
99	99	(f) The criminal justice division may use any revenue
100	100	available to the division to fund the grant program.
101	101	Sec. 772.00716. EVIDENCE TESTING ACCOUNT. (a) The
102	102	evidence testing account is created as a dedicated account in the
103	103	general revenue fund of the state treasury.
104	104	(b) Money in the account may be appropriated only to the
105	105	criminal justice division established under Section 772.006 for
106	106	purposes of the evidence testing grant program established under
107	107	Section 772.00715.
108	108	(c) Funds distributed under Section 772.00715 are subject
109	109	to audit by the comptroller.
110	110	SECTION 4. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to
111	111	a person who applies for an original or renewal driver's license,
112	112	commercial driver's license, or personal identification
113	113	certificate on or after January 1, 2018.
114	114	SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2017.
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