Texas 2023 - 88th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2935 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New	Differences
1	1	88R19286 BDP-D
2	2	By: Lopez of Cameron H.B. No. 2935
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2935:
4	4	By: Herrero C.S.H.B. No. 2935
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to veterans placed on community supervision or confined in
10	10	the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 501.024(b), Government Code, is amended
13	13	to read as follows:
14	14	(b) The department shall:
15	15	(1) in consultation with the Texas Veterans
16	16	Commission, investigate and verify the veteran status of each
17	17	inmate by using the best available federal data; and
18	18	(2) use the data described by Subdivision (1) to
19	19	assist inmates who are veterans in applying for:
20	20	(A) federal benefits or compensation for which
21	21	the inmates may be eligible under a program administered by the
22	22	United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and
23	23	(B) state benefits or compensation for which the
24	24	inmates may be eligible under any state law or program.
25	25	SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 501, Government Code, is
26	26	amended by adding Section 501.1021 to read as follows:
27	27	Sec. 501.1021. REENTRY AND REINTEGRATION SERVICES FOR
28	28	VETERANS. (a) The department shall develop a comprehensive plan to
29	29	ensure the successful reentry and reintegration into the community
30	30	following discharge or release on parole or to mandatory
31	31	supervision from the department of inmates whose veteran status has
32	32	been verified by the department under Section 501.024(b)(1). The
33	33	reentry and reintegration plan developed under this section must:
34	34	(1) utilize all benefits that the inmate is eligible
35	35	for as determined by the department under Section 501.024(b)(2) to
36	36	provide for the following, as applicable, after the inmate's
37	37	discharge or release on parole or to mandatory supervision:
38	38	(A) housing;
39	39	(B) employment;
40	40	(C) education;
41	41	(D) financial support for the inmate's family;
42	42	and
43	43	(E) medical or mental health care; and
44	44	(2) require the department to maintain written
45	45	documentation in the inmate's file that describes each benefit the
46	46	inmate is eligible for and how the plan utilizes the benefit.
47	47	(b) The department may contract with private vendors or
48	48	other entities to implement the comprehensive reentry and
49	49	reintegration plan as required by this section.
50	50	SECTION 3. Chapter 509, Government Code, is amended by
51	51	adding Section 509.0042 to read as follows:
52	52	Sec. 509.0042. VETERANS BENEFITS PLAN. The division shall
53	53	require each department to develop and implement a comprehensive
54	54	plan to:
55	55	(1) determine if a defendant placed on community
56	56	supervision is a veteran; and
57	57	(2) assist the defendant in obtaining any federal or
58	58	state veterans benefits for which the defendant is eligible to
59	59	provide for the following, as applicable, during the defendant's
60	60	term of community supervision:
61	61	(A) housing;
62	62	(B) employment;
63	63	(C) education;
64	64	(D) financial support for the defendant's
65	65	family; and
66	66	(E) medical or mental health care.
67	67	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.