Texas 2025 - 89th Regular

Texas House Bill HB3644 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	89R5382 BCH-D
2	2	By: Romero H.B. No. 3644
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7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to the verification of the veteran status of inmates and
10	10	prisoners.
11	11	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
12	12	SECTION 1. Section 8(a), Article 42.09, Code of Criminal
13	13	Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
14	14	(a) A county that transfers a defendant to the Texas
15	15	Department of Criminal Justice under this article shall deliver to
16	16	an officer designated by the department:
17	17	(1) a copy of the judgment entered pursuant to Article
18	18	42.01, completed on a standardized felony judgment form described
19	19	by Section 4 of that article;
20	20	(2) a copy of any order revoking community supervision
21	21	and imposing sentence pursuant to Article 42A.755, including:
22	22	(A) any amounts owed for restitution, fines, and
23	23	court costs, completed on a standardized felony judgment form
24	24	described by Section 4, Article 42.01; and
25	25	(B) a copy of the client supervision plan
26	26	prepared for the defendant by the community supervision and
27	27	corrections department supervising the defendant, if such a plan
28	28	was prepared;
29	29	(3) a written report that states the nature and the
30	30	seriousness of each offense and that states the citation to the
31	31	provision or provisions of the Penal Code or other law under which
32	32	the defendant was convicted;
33	33	(4) a copy of the victim impact statement, if one has
34	34	been prepared in the case under Subchapter D, Chapter 56A;
35	35	(5) a statement as to whether there was a change in
36	36	venue in the case and, if so, the names of the county prosecuting
37	37	the offense and the county in which the case was tried;
38	38	(6) if requested, information regarding the criminal
39	39	history of the defendant, including the defendant's state
40	40	identification number if the number has been issued;
41	41	(7) a copy of the indictment or information for each
42	42	offense;
43	43	(8) a checklist sent by the department to the county
44	44	and completed by the county in a manner indicating that the
45	45	documents required by this subsection and Subsection (c) accompany
46	46	the defendant;
47	47	(9) if prepared, a copy of a presentence or
48	48	postsentence report prepared under Subchapter F, Chapter 42A;
49	49	(10) a copy of any detainer, issued by an agency of the
50	50	federal government, that is in the possession of the county and that
51	51	has been placed on the defendant;
52	52	(11) if prepared, a copy of the defendant's Texas
53	53	Uniform Health Status Update Form;
54	54	(12) a written description of a hold or warrant,
55	55	issued by any other jurisdiction, that the county is aware of and
56	56	that has been placed on or issued for the defendant; [and]
57	57	(13) a copy of any mental health records, mental
58	58	health screening reports, or similar information regarding the
59	59	mental health of the defendant; and
60	60	(14) the veteran status of the defendant as determined
61	61	by an investigation conducted in accordance with Section
62	62	511.009(a)(17)(A), Government Code.
63	63	SECTION 2. Section 501.024(b), Government Code, is amended
64	64	to read as follows:
65	65	(b) The department shall:
66	66	(1) in consultation with the Texas Veterans
67	67	Commission, investigate and verify the veteran status of each
68	68	inmate by using the best available federal data; and
69	69	(2) use the data described by Subdivision (1) to
70	70	assist inmates who are veterans in applying for federal benefits or
71	71	compensation for which the inmates may be eligible under a program
72	72	administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs,
73	73	including mailing any related paperwork, application, or other
74	74	correspondence on behalf of and at no charge to the inmate.
75	75	SECTION 3. Section 511.009(a), Government Code, is amended
76	76	to read as follows:
77	77	(a) The commission shall:
78	78	(1) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
79	79	establishing minimum standards for the construction, equipment,
80	80	maintenance, and operation of county jails;
81	81	(2) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
82	82	establishing minimum standards for the custody, care, and treatment
83	83	of prisoners;
84	84	(3) adopt reasonable rules establishing minimum
85	85	standards for the number of jail supervisory personnel and for
86	86	programs and services to meet the needs of prisoners;
87	87	(4) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
88	88	establishing minimum requirements for programs of rehabilitation,
89	89	education, and recreation in county jails;
90	90	(5) regularly review the commission's rules and
91	91	procedures and revise, amend, or change the rules and procedures if
92	92	necessary;
93	93	(6) provide to local government officials
94	94	consultation on and technical assistance for county jails;
95	95	(7) review and comment on plans for the construction
96	96	and major modification or renovation of county jails;
97	97	(8) require that the sheriff and commissioners of each
98	98	county submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the
99	99	commission, an annual report on the conditions in each county jail
100	100	within their jurisdiction, including all information necessary to
101	101	determine compliance with state law, commission orders, and the
102	102	rules adopted under this chapter;
103	103	(9) review the reports submitted under Subdivision (8)
104	104	and require commission employees to inspect county jails regularly
105	105	to ensure compliance with state law, commission orders, and rules
106	106	and procedures adopted under this chapter;
107	107	(10) adopt a classification system to assist sheriffs
108	108	and judges in determining which defendants are low-risk and
109	109	consequently suitable participants in a county jail work release
110	110	program under Article 42.034, Code of Criminal Procedure;
111	111	(11) adopt rules relating to requirements for
112	112	segregation of classes of inmates and to capacities for county
113	113	jails;
114	114	(12) adopt a policy for gathering and distributing to
115	115	jails under the commission's jurisdiction information regarding:
116	116	(A) common issues concerning jail
117	117	administration;
118	118	(B) examples of successful strategies for
119	119	maintaining compliance with state law and the rules, standards, and
120	120	procedures of the commission; and
121	121	(C) solutions to operational challenges for
122	122	jails;
123	123	(13) report to the Texas Correctional Office on
124	124	Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments on a jail's compliance
125	125	with Article 16.22, Code of Criminal Procedure;
126	126	(14) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
127	127	establishing minimum requirements for a county jail to:
128	128	(A) determine if a prisoner is pregnant;
129	129	(B) ensure that the jail's health services plan
130	130	addresses medical care, including obstetrical and gynecological
131	131	care, mental health care, nutritional requirements, and any special
132	132	housing or work assignment needs for prisoners who are known or
133	133	determined to be pregnant; and
134	134	(C) identify when a pregnant prisoner is in labor
135	135	and provide appropriate care to the prisoner, including promptly
136	136	transporting the prisoner to a local hospital;
137	137	(15) provide guidelines to sheriffs regarding
138	138	contracts between a sheriff and another entity for the provision of
139	139	food services to or the operation of a commissary in a jail under
140	140	the commission's jurisdiction, including specific provisions
141	141	regarding conflicts of interest and avoiding the appearance of
142	142	impropriety;
143	143	(16) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
144	144	establishing minimum standards for prisoner visitation that
145	145	provide each prisoner at a county jail with a minimum of two
146	146	in-person, noncontact visitation periods per week of at least 20
147	147	minutes duration each;
148	148	(17) require the sheriff of each county to:
149	149	(A) investigate and verify the veteran status of
150	150	each prisoner during the intake process by using data made
151	151	available from the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) operated
152	152	by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or a similar
153	153	service; [and]
154	154	(B) use the data described by Paragraph (A) to
155	155	assist prisoners who are veterans in applying for federal benefits
156	156	or compensation for which the prisoners may be eligible under a
157	157	program administered by the United States Department of Veterans
158	158	Affairs, including providing the prisoner on verification of the
159	159	prisoner's veteran status with a prepaid postcard that is supplied
160	160	by the Texas Veterans Commission for purposes of requesting
161	161	assistance in applying for veterans benefits;
162	162	(C) submit a daily report identifying each
163	163	prisoner whose veteran status was verified under Paragraph (A)
164	164	during the previous day to the Texas Veterans Commission and, as
165	165	applicable, the veterans county service officer for the county and
166	166	each court in which charges against a prisoner identified in the
167	167	report are pending; and
168	168	(D) allow for a prisoner whose veteran status has
169	169	been verified under Paragraph (A) to have in-person or video
170	170	visitation with the veterans county service officer for the county
171	171	or a peer service coordinator at no cost to the prisoner;
172	172	(18) adopt reasonable rules and procedures regarding
173	173	visitation of a prisoner at a county jail by a guardian, as defined
174	174	by Section 1002.012, Estates Code, that:
175	175	(A) allow visitation by a guardian to the same
176	176	extent as the prisoner's next of kin, including placing the
177	177	guardian on the prisoner's approved visitors list on the guardian's
178	178	request and providing the guardian access to the prisoner during a
179	179	facility's standard visitation hours if the prisoner is otherwise
180	180	eligible to receive visitors; and
181	181	(B) require the guardian to provide the sheriff
182	182	with letters of guardianship issued as provided by Section
183	183	1106.001, Estates Code, before being allowed to visit the prisoner;
184	184	(19) adopt reasonable rules and procedures to ensure
185	185	the safety of prisoners, including rules and procedures that
186	186	require a county jail to:
187	187	(A) give prisoners the ability to access a mental
188	188	health professional at the jail or through a telemental health
189	189	service 24 hours a day or, if a mental health professional is not at
190	190	the county jail at the time, then require the jail to use all
191	191	reasonable efforts to arrange for the inmate to have access to a
192	192	mental health professional within a reasonable time;
193	193	(B) give prisoners the ability to access a health
194	194	professional at the jail or through a telehealth service 24 hours a
195	195	day or, if a health professional is unavailable at the jail or
196	196	through a telehealth service, provide for a prisoner to be
197	197	transported to access a health professional; and
198	198	(C) if funding is available under Section
199	199	511.019, install automated electronic sensors or cameras to ensure
200	200	accurate and timely in-person checks of cells or groups of cells
201	201	confining at-risk individuals; and
202	202	(20) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
203	203	establishing minimum standards for the quantity and quality of
204	204	feminine hygiene products, including tampons in regular and large
205	205	sizes and menstrual pads with wings in regular and large sizes,
206	206	provided to a female prisoner.
207	207	SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.