| 1 | 1 | | 87R1030 TSS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Miles S.B. No. 417 |
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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 reports to the Office of Court Administration of the |
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| 8 | 8 | | Texas Judicial System on certain cases filed in justice and |
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| 9 | 9 | | municipal courts. |
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| 10 | 10 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 11 | 11 | | SECTION 1. The heading to Subchapter E, Chapter 72, |
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| 12 | 12 | | Government Code, is amended to read as follows: |
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| 13 | 13 | | SUBCHAPTER E. COURT PERFORMANCE AND OTHER REPORTS [STANDARDS] |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 2. Subchapter E, Chapter 72, Government Code, is |
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| 15 | 15 | | amended by adding Section 72.0831 to read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 72.0831. JUSTICE AND MUNICIPAL COURTS. (a) Each |
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| 17 | 17 | | justice and municipal court shall annually report to the office for |
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| 18 | 18 | | each criminal case filed with the court during the reporting year: |
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| 19 | 19 | | (1) the offense charged; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) the final disposition of the case; and |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) the defendant's race or ethnicity, as reported in |
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| 22 | 22 | | the citation, affidavit establishing probable cause, or offense |
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| 23 | 23 | | report filed with the case. |
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| 24 | 24 | | (b) Each justice court shall annually report to the office |
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| 25 | 25 | | for each residential eviction suit filed with the court during the |
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| 26 | 26 | | reporting year: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (1) the final disposition of the case; and |
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| 28 | 28 | | (2) the defendant's race or ethnicity, as reported to |
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| 29 | 29 | | the court by the defendant or, if the defendant does not report the |
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| 30 | 30 | | defendant's race or ethnicity, the fact that the defendant prefers |
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| 31 | 31 | | not to report the defendant's race or ethnicity. |
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| 32 | 32 | | (c) The office shall adopt rules prescribing the form and |
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| 33 | 33 | | manner of submission of the reports required by this section and the |
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| 34 | 34 | | dates on which those reports are due each year. |
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| 35 | 35 | | (d) A report made under this section is confidential and not |
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| 36 | 36 | | subject to disclosure under Chapter 552. |
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| 37 | 37 | | SECTION 3. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
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| 38 | 38 | | of this Act, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas |
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| 39 | 39 | | Judicial System shall adopt rules implementing Section 72.0831, |
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| 40 | 40 | | Government Code, as added by this Act. |
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| 41 | 41 | | SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 42 | 42 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 43 | 43 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 44 | 44 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 45 | 45 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |
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