TX
Texas House Bill HB2580

Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2580 Compare Versions

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1-86R22920 JRR-F
1+86R3229 JRR-F
22 By: Wu H.B. No. 2580
3- Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2580:
4- By: Stickland C.S.H.B. No. 2580
53
64
75 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
86 AN ACT
9- relating to access to telephone services for persons confined in
10- county jails.
7+ relating to providing free access to telephone services for persons
8+ confined in county jail pending trial.
119 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1210 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 351, Local Government
1311 Code, is amended by adding Section 351.0135 to read as follows:
1412 Sec. 351.0135. ACCESS TO TELEPHONE SERVICES FOR PERSONS
15- CONFINED IN COUNTY JAIL. The sheriff of each county shall adopt a
16- policy governing the use of telephone services by persons confined
17- in the county jail. The policy:
18- (1) must allow each person confined in the county jail
19- pending trial to:
20- (A) make domestic telephone calls to the person's
21- attorney for a total duration of 20 minutes per month at no cost to
22- the person or the person's attorney; and
23- (B) make one 10-minute domestic telephone call
24- per week to a person other than the person's attorney at no cost to
25- the person or the person receiving the call; and
26- (2) must allow each person confined in the county jail
27- other than a person described by Subdivision (1) to make one
28- 10-minute domestic telephone call per month at no cost to the person
29- or the person receiving the call.
13+ CONFINED PENDING TRIAL. (a) A county jail must provide each
14+ arrested person who is confined in the county jail pending trial
15+ with access to domestic telephone services at no cost to the person
16+ or the party receiving the telephone call.
17+ (b) The sheriff of each county jail shall adopt a policy
18+ governing the use of telephone services under this section. The
19+ policy may not unduly restrict calling patterns or volume and must
20+ allow for an average monthly call usage rate of eight calls, with
21+ each call having an average duration of not less than 10 minutes,
22+ per arrested person.
3023 SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2019, the sheriff of
31- each county shall adopt the policy required by Section 351.0135,
32- Local Government Code, as added by this Act.
24+ each county jail shall adopt the policy required by Section
25+ 351.0135, Local Government Code, as added by this Act.
3326 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.