| 1 | 1 | | 88R12728 MCF-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Bryant H.B. No. 3427 |
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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 the ombudsman office for the Texas Department of |
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| 8 | 8 | | Criminal Justice. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 493.0165 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 493.0165. OMBUDSMAN OFFICE; REPORT. (a) The |
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| 13 | 13 | | department shall establish an ombudsman office to assist the |
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| 14 | 14 | | department in performing its duties under Section 493.016. |
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| 15 | 15 | | (b) The ombudsman office shall: |
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| 16 | 16 | | (1) establish a process by which an employee of the |
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| 17 | 17 | | department may anonymously submit a complaint regarding: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (A) the department; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (B) an inmate; |
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| 20 | 20 | | (C) another employee; or |
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| 21 | 21 | | (D) a facility operated by or under contract with |
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| 22 | 22 | | the department; |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2) investigate complaints submitted under |
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| 24 | 24 | | Subdivision (1); and |
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| 25 | 25 | | (3) refer complaints submitted under Subdivision (1) |
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| 26 | 26 | | involving criminal conduct to the appropriate agency for |
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| 27 | 27 | | investigation. |
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| 28 | 28 | | (c) The identity of an employee who submits a complaint |
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| 29 | 29 | | under Subsection (b) must remain anonymous unless the employee |
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| 30 | 30 | | chooses to disclose the employee's identity. |
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| 31 | 31 | | (d) Not later than December 1 of each even-numbered year, |
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| 32 | 32 | | the ombudsman office shall prepare and publish on the department's |
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| 33 | 33 | | Internet website a report that includes: |
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| 34 | 34 | | (1) the number of complaints submitted under |
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| 35 | 35 | | Subsection (b) during the two-year period preceding the date of the |
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| 36 | 36 | | report; |
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| 37 | 37 | | (2) a summary of any trends regarding the complaints; |
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| 38 | 38 | | and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (3) a description of the actions taken in response to |
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| 40 | 40 | | the complaints. |
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| 41 | 41 | | (e) The report described by Subsection (d) may not include |
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| 42 | 42 | | identifying information about any person involved in a complaint. |
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| 43 | 43 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |
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