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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to reports concerning and the reporting of the use of |
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certain funds by community supervision and corrections departments |
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and to the preparation of commitment reduction plans by those |
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departments. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subsection (b), Section 76.003, Government Code, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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(b) A council should consist of the following persons or |
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their designees: |
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(1) a sheriff of a county served by the department, |
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chosen by the sheriffs of the counties to be served by the |
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department; |
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(2) a county commissioner or a county judge from a |
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county served by the department, chosen by the county commissioners |
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and county judges of the counties served by the department; |
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(3) a city council member of the most populous |
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municipality in a county served by the department, chosen by the |
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members of the city councils of cities served by the department; |
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(4) not more than two state legislators elected from a |
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county served by the department, or in a county with a population of |
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one million or more to be served by the department, not more than |
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one state senator and one state representative elected from the |
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county, chosen by the state legislators elected from the county or |
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counties served by the department; |
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(5) the presiding judge from a judicial district |
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served by the department, chosen by the district judges from the |
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judicial districts served by the department; |
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(6) a judge of a statutory county court exercising |
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criminal jurisdiction in a county served by the department, chosen |
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by the judges of statutory county courts with criminal jurisdiction |
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in the counties served by the department; |
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(7) a county attorney with criminal jurisdiction from |
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a county served by the department, chosen by the county attorneys |
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with criminal jurisdiction from the counties served by the |
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department; |
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(8) a district attorney or criminal district attorney |
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from a judicial district served by the department, chosen by the |
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district attorneys or criminal district attorneys from the judicial |
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districts served by the department; [and] |
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(9) an elected member of the board of trustees of an |
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independent school district in a county served by the department, |
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chosen by the members of the boards of trustees of independent |
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school districts located in counties served by the department; and |
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(10) the department director. |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 492, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 492.017 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 492.017. LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS REQUEST. |
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(a) The board shall require the department to submit each |
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legislative appropriations request, accompanied by the most recent |
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report prepared by the community justice assistance division of the |
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department under Section 509.004(c), to the board for approval |
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before the department submits the appropriations request to the |
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Legislative Budget Board. |
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(b) In deciding whether to approve a legislative |
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appropriations request submitted under Subsection (a), the board |
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shall consider the most recent report prepared by the community |
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justice assistance division of the department under Section |
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509.004(c). |
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SECTION 3. Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 493.0081 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 493.0081. LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS REQUEST. The |
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department shall include in each legislative appropriations |
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request submitted to the Legislative Budget Board the information |
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contained in the most recent report prepared by the community |
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justice assistance division under Section 509.004(c). |
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SECTION 4. Section 509.004, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsections (c), (d), and (e) to read as follows: |
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(c) The division shall prepare a report that contains a |
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detailed summary of the programs and services provided by |
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departments, as described in each community justice plan submitted |
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to the division under Section 509.007. The report must include: |
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(1) all financial information relating to the programs |
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and services described in each community justice plan; and |
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(2) information concerning the amount of state aid and |
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funding that is not state aid used to support each program or |
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service provided by a department. |
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(d) As soon as is practicable after the completion of the |
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report, the division shall submit the report prepared under |
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Subsection (c) to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and the |
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executive director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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(e) Not later than the date on which the Texas Department of |
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Criminal Justice is required to submit the department's legislative |
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appropriations request to the Legislative Budget Board, the |
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division shall submit the report prepared under Subsection (c) to |
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the Legislative Budget Board. |
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SECTION 5. Section 509.007, Government Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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Sec. 509.007. COMMUNITY JUSTICE PLAN. (a) The division |
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shall require as a condition to payment of state aid to a department |
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or county under Section 509.011 and eligibility for payment of |
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costs under Section 499.124 that a community justice plan be |
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submitted for the department. The community justice council shall |
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submit the plan required by this subsection. A community justice |
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council may not submit a plan under this section unless the plan is |
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first approved by the judges described by Section 76.002 who |
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established the department served by the council. The council |
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shall submit a revised plan to the division each even-numbered |
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[odd-numbered] year not later than March 1 [by a date designated by
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the division]. A plan may be amended at any time with the approval |
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of the division. |
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(b) A community justice plan required under this section |
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must include: |
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(1) a statement of goals and priorities and of |
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commitment by the community justice council, the judges described |
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by Section 76.002 who established the department, and the |
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department director to achieve a targeted level of alternative |
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sanctions; |
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(2) a description of methods for measuring the success |
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of programs provided by the department or provided by an entity |
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served by the department; [and] |
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(3) a proposal for the use of state jail felony |
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facilities and, at the discretion of the community justice council, |
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a regional proposal for the construction, operation, maintenance, |
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or management of a state jail felony facility by a county, a |
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community supervision and corrections department, or a private |
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vendor under a contract with a county or a community supervision and |
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corrections department; |
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(4) a description of the programs and services the |
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department provides or intends to provide, including a separate |
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description of any programs or services the department intends to |
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provide to enhance public safety, reduce recidivism, strengthen the |
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investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses, improve |
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programs and services available to victims of crime, and increase |
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the amount of restitution collected from persons supervised by the |
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department; and |
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(5) an outline of the department's projected |
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programmatic and budgetary needs, based on the programs and |
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services the department both provides and intends to provide. |
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SECTION 6. Chapter 509, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 509.0071 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 509.0071. COMMITMENT REDUCTION PLAN. (a) In addition |
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to submitting a community justice plan to the division under |
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Section 509.007, a department or a regional partnership of |
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departments may submit a commitment reduction plan to the division |
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not later than the 60th day after the date on which the time for |
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gubernatorial action on the state budget has expired under Section |
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14, Article IV, Texas Constitution. |
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(b) A commitment reduction plan submitted under this |
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section may contain a request for additional state funding in the |
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manner described by Subsection (e). A commitment reduction plan |
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must contain: |
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(1) a target number by which the county or counties |
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served by the department or regional partnership of departments |
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will, relative to the number of individuals committed in the |
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preceding state fiscal year from the county or counties to the Texas |
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Department of Criminal Justice for offenses not listed in or |
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described by Section 3g, Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, |
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reduce that number in the fiscal year for which the commitment |
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reduction plan is submitted by reducing the number of: |
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(A) direct sentencing commitments; |
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(B) community supervision revocations; or |
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(C) direct sentencing commitments and community |
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supervision revocations; |
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(2) a calculation, based on the most recent Criminal |
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Justice Uniform Cost Report published by the Legislative Budget |
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Board, of the savings to the state that will result from the county |
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or counties reaching the target number described by Subdivision |
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(1); |
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(3) an explanation of the programs and services the |
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department or regional partnership of departments intends to |
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provide using any funding received under Subsection (e)(1), |
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including any programs or services designed to enhance public |
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safety, reduce recidivism, strengthen the investigation and |
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prosecution of criminal offenses, improve programs and services |
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available to victims of crime, and increase the amount of |
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restitution collected from persons supervised by the department or |
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regional partnership of departments; |
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(4) a pledge by the department or regional partnership |
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of departments to provide accurate data to the division at the time |
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and in the manner required by the division; |
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(5) a pledge to repay to the state, not later than the |
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30th day after the last day of the state fiscal year in which the |
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lump-sum award is made, a percentage of the lump sum received under |
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Subsection (e)(1) that is equal to the percentage by which the |
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county or counties fail to reach the target number described by |
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Subdivision (1), if the county or counties do not reach that target |
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number; and |
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(6) if the commitment reduction plan is submitted by a |
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regional partnership of departments, an agreement and plan for the |
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receipt, division, and administration of any funding received under |
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Subsection (e). |
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(c) For purposes of Subsection (b)(5), if the target number |
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contained in the commitment reduction plan is described by |
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Subsection (b)(1)(B), the county or counties fail to reach the |
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target number if the sum of any increase in the number of direct |
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sentencing commitments and any reduction in community supervision |
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revocations is less than the target number contained in the |
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commitment reduction plan. |
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(d) A pledge described by Subsection (b)(4) or (5) must be |
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signed by: |
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(1) the director of the department submitting the |
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commitment reduction plan; or |
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(2) if the commitment reduction plan is submitted by a |
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regional partnership of departments, a director of one of the |
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departments in the regional partnership submitting the commitment |
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reduction plan. |
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(e) After reviewing a commitment reduction plan, if the |
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division is satisfied that the plan is feasible and would achieve |
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desirable outcomes, the division may award to the department or |
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regional partnership of departments: |
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(1) a one-time lump sum in an amount equal to 35 |
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percent of the savings to the state described by Subsection (b)(2); |
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and |
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(2) on a biennial basis, and from the 65 percent of the |
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savings to the state that remains after payment of the lump sum |
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described by Subdivision (1), the following incentive payments for |
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the department's or regional partnership's performance in the two |
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years immediately preceding the payment: |
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(A) 15 percent, for reducing the percentage of |
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persons supervised by the department or regional partnership of |
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departments who commit a new felony while under supervision; |
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(B) five percent, for increasing the percentage |
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of persons supervised by the department or regional partnership of |
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departments who are not delinquent in making any restitution |
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payments; and |
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(C) five percent, for increasing the percentage |
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of persons supervised by the department or regional partnership of |
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departments who are gainfully employed, as determined by the |
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division. |
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(f) A department or regional partnership of departments may |
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use funds received under Subsection (e) to provide any program or |
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service that a department is authorized to provide under other law, |
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including implementing, administering, and supporting |
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evidence-based community supervision strategies, electronic |
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monitoring, substance abuse and mental health counseling and |
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treatment, specialized community supervision caseloads, |
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intermediate sanctions, victims' services, restitution collection, |
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short-term incarceration in county jails, specialized courts, |
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pretrial services and intervention programs, and work release and |
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day reporting centers. |
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(g) Any funds received by a department or regional |
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partnership of departments under Subsection (e): |
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(1) are in addition to any per capita or formula |
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funding received under Section 509.011; and |
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(2) may not be deducted from any per capita or formula |
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funding received or to be received by: |
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(A) another department, if the commitment |
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reduction plan is submitted by a department; or |
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(B) any department, if the commitment reduction |
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plan is submitted by a regional partnership of departments. |
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(h) The division shall deduct from future state aid paid to |
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a department, or from any incentive payments under Subsection |
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(e)(2) for which a department is otherwise eligible, an amount |
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equal to the amount of any pledge described by Subsection (b)(5) |
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that remains unpaid on the 31st day after the last day of the state |
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fiscal year in which a lump-sum award is made under Subsection |
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(e)(1). If the lump-sum award was made to a regional partnership of |
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departments, the division shall deduct, in accordance with the |
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agreement and plan described by Subsection (b)(6), the amount of |
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the unpaid pledge from the future state aid to each department that |
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is part of the partnership or from any incentive payments under |
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Subsection (e)(2) for which the regional partnership of departments |
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is otherwise eligible. |
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SECTION 7. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |
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