87R7782 JG-D
By: Eckhardt S.B. No. 1833
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to post-release housing for inmates released on parole or
to mandatory supervision.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 508.157, Government Code, is amended by
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsections (f) and (g) to read
as follows:
(b) The [If the department does not operate or contract for
the operation of a residential correctional facility in the county
of legal residence of an inmate or releasee, the] department may
issue, for an inmate described by Subsection (a) or for a releasee,
payment for the cost of temporary post-release housing that:
(1) meets any conditions or requirements imposed by a
parole panel;
(2) meets or exceeds the standards developed by the
Reentry Housing Task Force; and
(3) is located in the county of legal residence of the
inmate or releasee[; and
[(3) except as provided by Subsection (e-1), is in a
structure that existed on June 1, 2009, as a multifamily residence
or as a motel to which Section 156.001, Tax Code, applies].
(f) The department shall actively seek grants from any
source for the purpose of expanding the use of temporary
post-release housing payments under Subsection (b) as an
alternative to housing an inmate described by Subsection (a) or a
releasee in a residential correctional facility. Notwithstanding
Subsection (d), the department may issue payments under Subsection
(b) out of grant funds received for that purpose.
(g) The department shall:
(1) prioritize the use of temporary post-release
housing payments under Subsection (b) to reduce the average number
of days an inmate described by Subsection (a) or a releasee is
housed in a residential correctional facility; and
(2) reduce the number of inmates or releasees housed
in a residential correctional facility if the department determines
that the issuance of payments under Subsection (b) increases the
availability of temporary post-release housing that meets or
exceeds the standards described by Subsection (b)(2).
SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 508, Government Code, is
amended by adding Sections 508.158 and 508.159 to read as follows:
Sec. 508.158. POST-RELEASE HOUSING PLANNING PROCEDURE AND
REPORT. (a) In this section, "residential correctional facility"
has the meaning assigned by Section 508.157.
(b) The department shall implement a post-release housing
planning procedure for releasees that includes the early
identification and assessment of inmates who do not have an
established plan for housing following release on parole or to
mandatory supervision.
(c) In implementing the post-release housing planning
procedure, the department shall create a needs assessment to
identify:
(1) inmates who would benefit from the use of
temporary post-release housing payments under Section 508.157(b);
(2) inmates who require more intensive planning for
post-release housing; and
(3) the particular housing needs of inmates due to a
disability or an inmate's familial circumstances.
(d) Not later than February 1 of each year, the department
shall submit to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker
of the house of representatives, and each standing committee of the
legislature with primary jurisdiction over the department a report
that includes the following information for the preceding year:
(1) the number of inmates described by Subsection (b)
and the department's efforts to find post-release housing for those
inmates;
(2) the department's efforts to reduce the length of
time between an inmate's parole approval and the release of the
inmate on parole for an inmate described by Subsection (b);
(3) the department's efforts to expand post-release
housing options in local communities, including post-release
housing that meets or exceeds the standards developed by the
Reentry Housing Task Force;
(4) the average number of days a releasee is housed in
a residential correctional facility; and
(5) the number of releasees who absconded from a
residential correctional facility.
Sec. 508.159. REENTRY HOUSING TASK FORCE; BIENNIAL REPORTS.
(a) In this section, "task force" means the Reentry Housing Task
Force established under this section.
(b) The Reentry Housing Task Force is established and is
composed of members appointed by the executive director. The task
force must include:
(1) at least one representative from each of the
following entities:
(A) the Texas Department of Housing and Community
Affairs;
(B) the Texas Veterans Commission;
(C) a nonprofit organization that is engaged in
creating recovery housing options in this state;
(D) a nonprofit organization that advocates for
persons who are required to register as a sex offender under Chapter
62, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(E) a nonprofit organization for family members
of persons who are incarcerated; and
(F) a nonprofit organization that operates a
Continuum of Care program funded wholly or partly by the United
States Department of Housing and Urban Development;
(2) two or more individuals who are health care
professionals, one of whom must be a certified emergency medical
technician; and
(3) one individual who specializes in the reentry of
female releasees.
(c) The executive director shall designate a member of the
task force as the presiding officer.
(d) The task force shall meet every other month or at the
call of the presiding officer.
(e) A member of the task force is not entitled to
compensation for service on the task force but is entitled to
reimbursement for travel expenses incurred by the member while
conducting the business of the task force as provided by the General
Appropriations Act.
(f) The task force shall:
(1) evaluate, on an ongoing basis, strategies for
improving post-release housing for releasees, including:
(A) methods to provide housing options for
releasees that are in addition to housing provided by residential
correctional facilities, as that term is defined by Section
508.157; and
(B) the feasibility of expanding the use of
housing vouchers or other payments for the post-release housing of
releasees;
(2) develop and update as necessary standards for
post-release housing for releasees that promote:
(A) the successful reintegration of releasees
into the community; and
(B) community health and safety;
(3) develop and update as necessary a post-release
housing planning procedure for releasees that the department may
implement that includes the early identification and assessment of
inmates who do not have an established plan for housing following
release on parole or to mandatory supervision; and
(4) develop and update as necessary recommendations to
address the risk of homelessness for releasees who are unable to
find suitable post-release housing.
(g) The task force and the department shall evaluate, on an
ongoing basis, the implementation of post-release housing
initiatives and planning procedures under this subchapter.
(h) Not later than June 1 of each even-numbered year, the
task force shall prepare and submit to the department a written
report on the task force's findings under this section, including
standards, procedures, and recommendations developed under
Subsection (f) and any updates to those standards, procedures, and
recommendations.
(i) Not later than June 30 of each even-numbered year, the
department shall compile the results of the evaluations conducted
under Subsection (g) and the findings submitted under Subsection
(h) and shall prepare and submit to the legislature a written report
on the evaluation results and findings. The report must include any
proposed legislative recommendations.
(j) Chapter 2110 does not apply to the size, composition, or
duration of the task force or to the designation of the task force's
presiding officer.
SECTION 3. Section 508.157(e-1), Government Code, is
repealed.
SECTION 4. Notwithstanding the requirements of Section
508.157(b)(2), Government Code, as amended by this Act, until
January 1, 2023, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice may
continue to make payments for the cost of temporary post-release
housing under the requirements of Section 508.157(b), Government
Code, that existed immediately before the effective date of this
Act, and those requirements are continued in effect for that
purpose.
SECTION 5. Not later than December 1, 2021, the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice shall implement the post-release
housing planning procedure and assessment required by Section
508.158, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 6. Not later than November 1, 2021, the executive
director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall appoint
the members to the Reentry Housing Task Force as required by Section
508.159, Government Code, as added by this Act.
SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.