BILL ANALYSIS

S.B. 456

By: Lucio

Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Veterans county service offices assist veterans with VA claims and are a general resource for veterans in the community. As the state creates more veterans treatment courts, county service offices are performing a key role in referring veterans and assisting them through the process, but these offices frequently suffer from a lack of funding. It has been reported that some offices even lack the technology needed to upload documents to the VA. S.B. 456 seeks to provide an additional source of funding for veterans county service offices by allowing jurors to donate their daily reimbursement to these offices.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

S.B. 456 amends the Government Code to include a veterans county service office established by the county commissioners court among the causes to which a juror may donate all or part of their daily reimbursement. The bill prohibits a county commissioners court that maintains such an office from considering juror reimbursement donations for purposes of determining the county's budget for the office. The commissioners court may use the donations only to supplement, rather than supplant, amounts budgeted by the county for the office.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2021.