| 1 | 1 | | H.B. No. 2741 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | AN ACT |
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| 5 | 5 | | relating to the duties and composition of the Specialty Courts |
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| 6 | 6 | | Advisory Council. |
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| 7 | 7 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 8 | 8 | | SECTION 1. Section 772.0061(a)(2), Government Code, is |
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| 9 | 9 | | amended to read as follows: |
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| 10 | 10 | | (2) "Specialty court" means: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (A) a commercially sexually exploited persons |
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| 12 | 12 | | court program established under Chapter 126 or former law; |
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| 13 | 13 | | (B) a family drug court program established under |
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| 14 | 14 | | Chapter 122 or former law; |
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| 15 | 15 | | (C) a drug court program established under |
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| 16 | 16 | | Chapter 123 or former law; |
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| 17 | 17 | | (D) a veterans treatment court program |
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| 18 | 18 | | established under Chapter 124 or former law; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (E) a mental health court program established |
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| 20 | 20 | | under Chapter 125 or former law; [and] |
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| 21 | 21 | | (F) a public safety employees treatment court |
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| 22 | 22 | | program established under Chapter 129; and |
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| 23 | 23 | | (G) a juvenile family drug court program |
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| 24 | 24 | | established under Chapter 130. |
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| 25 | 25 | | SECTION 2. Sections 772.0061(b) and (c), Government Code, |
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| 26 | 26 | | are amended to read as follows: |
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| 27 | 27 | | (b) The governor shall establish the Specialty Courts |
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| 28 | 28 | | Advisory Council within the criminal justice division established |
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| 29 | 29 | | under Section 772.006 to: |
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| 30 | 30 | | (1) evaluate applications for grant funding for |
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| 31 | 31 | | specialty courts in this state and to make funding recommendations |
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| 32 | 32 | | to the criminal justice division; and |
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| 33 | 33 | | (2) make recommendations to the Texas Judicial |
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| 34 | 34 | | Council, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial |
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| 35 | 35 | | System, and the criminal justice division regarding best practices |
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| 36 | 36 | | for specialty courts established under Chapter 122, 123, 124, 125, |
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| 37 | 37 | | [or] 129, or 130, or former law. |
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| 38 | 38 | | (c) The council is composed of nine members appointed by the |
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| 39 | 39 | | governor as follows: |
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| 40 | 40 | | (1) four members, each of whom has [one member with] |
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| 41 | 41 | | experience as the judge of at least one [a] specialty court |
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| 42 | 42 | | described by Subsection (a)(2) [(a)(2)(A)]; and |
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| 43 | 43 | | (2) [one member with experience as the judge of a |
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| 44 | 44 | | specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(B); |
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| 45 | 45 | | [(3) one member with experience as the judge of a |
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| 46 | 46 | | specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(C); |
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| 47 | 47 | | [(4) one member with experience as the judge of a |
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| 48 | 48 | | specialty court described by Subsection (a)(2)(D); and |
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| 49 | 49 | | [(5)] five members who represent the public. |
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| 50 | 50 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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| 51 | 51 | | ______________________________ ______________________________ |
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| 52 | 52 | | President of the Senate Speaker of the House |
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| 53 | 53 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2741 was passed by the House on April |
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| 54 | 54 | | 20, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 142, Nays 1, 1 present, not |
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| 55 | 55 | | voting. |
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| 56 | 56 | | ______________________________ |
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| 57 | 57 | | Chief Clerk of the House |
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| 58 | 58 | | I certify that H.B. No. 2741 was passed by the Senate on May |
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| 59 | 59 | | 24, 2023, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0. |
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| 60 | 60 | | ______________________________ |
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| 61 | 61 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 62 | 62 | | APPROVED: _____________________ |
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| 63 | 63 | | Date |
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| 64 | 64 | | _____________________ |
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| 65 | 65 | | Governor |
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