| 1 | 1 | | 87R4987 BDP-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: White H.B. No. 2445 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to veterans placed on community supervision or confined in |
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| 8 | 8 | | the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Section 501.024(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b) The department shall: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) in consultation with the Texas Veterans |
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| 14 | 14 | | Commission, investigate and verify the veteran status of each |
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| 15 | 15 | | inmate by using the best available federal data; and |
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| 16 | 16 | | (2) use the data described by Subdivision (1) to |
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| 17 | 17 | | assist inmates who are veterans in applying for: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) federal benefits or compensation for which |
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| 19 | 19 | | the inmates may be eligible under a program administered by the |
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| 20 | 20 | | United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (B) state benefits or compensation for which the |
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| 22 | 22 | | inmates may be eligible under any state law or program. |
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| 23 | 23 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 501, Government Code, is |
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| 24 | 24 | | amended by adding Section 501.1021 to read as follows: |
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| 25 | 25 | | Sec. 501.1021. REENTRY AND REINTEGRATION SERVICES FOR |
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| 26 | 26 | | VETERANS. (a) The department shall develop a comprehensive plan to |
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| 27 | 27 | | ensure the successful reentry and reintegration into the community |
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| 28 | 28 | | following discharge from the department of offenders whose veteran |
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| 29 | 29 | | status has been verified by the department under Section |
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| 30 | 30 | | 501.024(b)(1). The reentry and reintegration plan developed under |
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| 31 | 31 | | this section must utilize all benefits that the offender is |
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| 32 | 32 | | eligible for as determined by the department under Section |
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| 33 | 33 | | 501.024(b)(2) to provide for the following, as applicable, after |
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| 34 | 34 | | the offender's discharge: |
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| 35 | 35 | | (1) housing; |
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| 36 | 36 | | (2) employment; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (3) education; |
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| 38 | 38 | | (4) financial support for the offender's family; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (5) medical or mental health care. |
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| 40 | 40 | | (b) The department may contract with private vendors or |
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| 41 | 41 | | other entities to implement the comprehensive reentry and |
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| 42 | 42 | | reintegration plan as required by this section. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 3. Chapter 509, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 44 | 44 | | adding Section 509.0042 to read as follows: |
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| 45 | 45 | | Sec. 509.0042. VETERANS BENEFITS PLAN. The division shall |
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| 46 | 46 | | require each department to develop and implement a comprehensive |
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| 47 | 47 | | plan to: |
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| 48 | 48 | | (1) determine if a defendant placed on community |
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| 49 | 49 | | supervision is a veteran; and |
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| 50 | 50 | | (2) assist the defendant in obtaining any federal or |
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| 51 | 51 | | state veterans benefits for which the defendant is eligible to |
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| 52 | 52 | | provide for the following, as applicable, during the defendant's |
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| 53 | 53 | | term of community supervision: |
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| 54 | 54 | | (A) housing; |
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| 55 | 55 | | (B) employment; |
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| 56 | 56 | | (C) education; |
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| 57 | 57 | | (D) financial support for the defendant's |
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| 58 | 58 | | family; and |
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| 59 | 59 | | (E) medical or mental health care. |
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| 60 | 60 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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