Bill Text: TX HB2543 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the creation of the conviction integrity unit within the office of the attorney general.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-13 - Referred to Criminal Jurisprudence [HB2543 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB2543-Introduced.html
| 88R2678 JRR-D | ||
| By: Raymond | H.B. No. 2543 | |
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| relating to the creation of the conviction integrity unit within | ||
| the office of the attorney general. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Subchapter B, Chapter 402, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 402.0232 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 402.0232. CONVICTION INTEGRITY UNIT. (a) A | ||
| conviction integrity unit is created within the office of the | ||
| attorney general to review and make recommendations regarding | ||
| criminal convictions made in district and county courts of this | ||
| state. | ||
| (b) The unit shall: | ||
| (1) accept requests submitted by any person for the | ||
| review of a criminal conviction made in a district or county court | ||
| of this state; | ||
| (2) develop criteria for determining which | ||
| convictions the unit will review; | ||
| (3) review convictions to determine the existence and | ||
| nature of errors made during the prosecution of the case and to | ||
| ensure that the interest of justice has been served; | ||
| (4) refer persons to a criminal defense attorney or an | ||
| organization that may be able to provide representation to the | ||
| convicted person in a postconviction proceeding; | ||
| (5) make recommendations to the district attorney, | ||
| criminal district attorney, or county attorney that prosecuted each | ||
| case regarding the appropriate postconviction motions, writs, and | ||
| other proceedings that the unit believes are necessary to ensure | ||
| that the interest of justice is served; | ||
| (6) if requested by the district attorney, criminal | ||
| district attorney, or county attorney that prosecuted the case, | ||
| provide assistance in completing the recommended motions, writs, or | ||
| other proceedings; and | ||
| (7) analyze and examine each case in which a final | ||
| ruling is made by the court of criminal appeals on a writ of habeas | ||
| corpus granted for actual innocence and each case in which a | ||
| commutation of punishment or pardon is based on a claim of actual | ||
| innocence to determine systemic issues within the criminal justice | ||
| system. | ||
| (c) The attorney general shall: | ||
| (1) develop a form which a person may use to request | ||
| the review of a criminal conviction made in a district or county | ||
| court of this state; and | ||
| (2) make the form described by Subdivision (1) | ||
| available on the attorney general's Internet website. | ||
| (d) The criteria developed under Subsection (b)(2) must | ||
| prioritize: | ||
| (1) convictions in which the death penalty has been | ||
| imposed; and | ||
| (2) convictions for which the convicted person is | ||
| required to register for life as a sex offender under Chapter 62, | ||
| Code of Criminal Procedure. | ||
| SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
