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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 the administration of a veterans treatment court |
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| 8 | 8 | | program. |
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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 124.003(b), Government Code, is amended |
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| 11 | 11 | | to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | (b) A veterans treatment court program established under |
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| 13 | 13 | | this chapter shall make, establish, and publish local procedures to |
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| 14 | 14 | | ensure maximum participation of eligible defendants in the program |
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| 15 | 15 | | [county or counties in which those defendants reside]. |
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| 16 | 16 | | SECTION 2. Sections 124.006(a) and (d), Government Code, |
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| 17 | 17 | | are amended to read as follows: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (a) A veterans treatment court program that accepts |
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| 19 | 19 | | placement of a defendant may transfer responsibility for |
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| 20 | 20 | | supervising the defendant's participation in the program to another |
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| 21 | 21 | | veterans treatment court program that is located in the county |
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| 22 | 22 | | where the defendant works or resides or in a county adjacent to the |
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| 23 | 23 | | county where the defendant works or resides. The defendant's |
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| 24 | 24 | | supervision may be transferred under this section only with the |
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| 25 | 25 | | consent of both veterans treatment court programs and the |
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| 26 | 26 | | defendant. |
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| 27 | 27 | | (d) If a defendant is charged with an offense in a county |
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| 28 | 28 | | that does not operate a veterans treatment court program, the court |
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| 29 | 29 | | in which the criminal case is pending may place the defendant in a |
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| 30 | 30 | | veterans treatment court program located in the county where the |
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| 31 | 31 | | defendant works or resides or in a county adjacent to the county |
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| 32 | 32 | | where the defendant works or resides, provided that a program is |
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| 33 | 33 | | operated in that county and the defendant agrees to the placement. |
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| 34 | 34 | | A defendant placed in a veterans treatment court program in |
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| 35 | 35 | | accordance with this subsection must agree to abide by all rules, |
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| 36 | 36 | | requirements, and instructions of the program. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 38 | 38 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 39 | 39 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 40 | 40 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 41 | 41 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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