By: Smith (Senate Sponsor - Hinojosa) H.B. No. 2741
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 24, 2023;
May 4, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
Justice; May 19, 2023, reported favorably by the following vote:
Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 19, 2023, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the duties and composition of the Specialty Courts
Advisory Council.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 772.0061(a)(2), Government Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(2) "Specialty court" means:
(A) a commercially sexually exploited persons
court program established under Chapter 126 or former law;
(B) a family drug court program established under
Chapter 122 or former law;
(C) a drug court program established under
Chapter 123 or former law;
(D) a veterans treatment court program
established under Chapter 124 or former law;
(E) a mental health court program established
under Chapter 125 or former law; [and]
(F) a public safety employees treatment court
program established under Chapter 129; and
(G) a juvenile family drug court program
established under Chapter 130.
SECTION 2. Sections 772.0061(b) and (c), Government Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(b) The governor shall establish the Specialty Courts
Advisory Council within the criminal justice division established
under Section 772.006 to:
(1) evaluate applications for grant funding for
specialty courts in this state and to make funding recommendations
to the criminal justice division; and
(2) make recommendations to the Texas Judicial
Council, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial
System, and the criminal justice division regarding best practices
for specialty courts established under Chapter 122, 123, 124, 125,
[or] 129, or 130, or former law.
(c) The council is composed of nine members appointed by the
governor as follows:
(1) four members, each of whom has [one member with]
experience as the judge of at least one [a] specialty court
described by Subsection (a)(2) [(a)(2)(A)]; and
(2) [one member with experience as the judge of a
specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(B);
[(3) one member with experience as the judge of a
specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(C);
[(4) one member with experience as the judge of a
specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(D); and
[(5)] five members who represent the public.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
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