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