88R12127 BDP-D
By: Bryant H.B. No. 2950
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the temperature at which certain facilities operated by
the Texas Department of Criminal Justice are maintained.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 501, Government Code, is
amended by adding Sections 501.028 and 501.029 to read as follows:
Sec. 501.028. TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS AT DEPARTMENT
FACILITIES. The department shall ensure that the temperature in
each facility operated by the department and used to house inmates
or in which department staff regularly work is maintained at not
less than 65 degrees Fahrenheit or more than 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sec. 501.029. REPORT REGARDING AIR CONDITIONING. Not later
than December 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 regarding
air conditioning in facilities operated by the department and used
to house inmates or in which department staff regularly work. The
report must include the following information for the preceding
12-month period:
(1) the number of facilities in which the air
conditioning system has failed;
(2) the number of incidents in which the air
conditioning in a facility was not operational and the reason for
each incident; and
(3) for each incident described by Subdivision (2)
that was due to an equipment malfunction, a summary of the steps
taken by the department to address the malfunction and ensure the
well-being of inmates and staff at the facility.
SECTION 2. (a) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is
not required to fully comply with the requirements of Section
501.028, Government Code, as added by this Act, until September 1,
2026.
(b) Not later than December 1, 2024, the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice 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 regarding the department's progress
toward complying with Section 501.028, Government Code, as added by
this Act, in all facilities to which that section applies.
(c) The Texas Department of Criminal Justice shall submit
the first report required by Section 501.029, Government Code, as
added by this Act, not later than December 1, 2027.
SECTION 3. (a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) of
this section, this Act takes effect immediately if it receives a
vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
(b) Section 501.029, Government Code, as added by this Act,
takes effect September 1, 2026.