| Old | New | Differences | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 86R3229 JRR-F | |
| 2 | 2 | By: Miles S.B. No. 303 | |
| 3 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 4 | ||
| 5 | 5 | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED | |
| 6 | 6 | AN ACT | |
| 7 | 7 | relating to providing free access to telephone services for persons | |
| 8 | 8 | confined in county jail pending trial. | |
| 9 | 9 | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | |
| 10 | 10 | SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 351, Local Government | |
| 11 | 11 | Code, is amended by adding Section 351.0135 to read as follows: | |
| 12 | 12 | Sec. 351.0135. ACCESS TO TELEPHONE SERVICES FOR PERSONS | |
| 13 | 13 | CONFINED PENDING TRIAL. (a) A county jail must provide each | |
| 14 | 14 | arrested person who is confined in the county jail pending trial | |
| 15 | 15 | with access to domestic telephone services at no cost to the person | |
| 16 | 16 | or the party receiving the telephone call. | |
| 17 | 17 | (b) The sheriff of each county jail shall adopt a policy | |
| 18 | 18 | governing the use of telephone services under this section. The | |
| 19 | 19 | policy may not unduly restrict calling patterns or volume and must | |
| 20 | 20 | allow for an average monthly call usage rate of eight calls, with | |
| 21 | 21 | each call having an average duration of not less than 10 minutes, | |
| 22 | 22 | per arrested person. | |
| 23 | 23 | SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2019, the sheriff of | |
| 24 | 24 | each county jail shall adopt the policy required by Section | |
| 25 | 25 | 351.0135, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. | |
| 26 | 26 | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |