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House Bill 2481 |
House Author: Metcalf et al. |
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Effective: Vetoed |
Senate Sponsor: Creighton et al. |
House Bill 2481 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure and Government Code to authorize a commissioners court of a county to establish a juvenile family drug court program. The bill also authorizes a veterans treatment court program to transfer responsibility for supervising a defendant's participation in the program to another program located in a county adjacent to the county where the defendant works or resides, if the program and the defendant consent. The bill sets out related provisions, including provisions regarding participant payment for treatment and services and program funding.
Governor's Reason for Veto: "House Bill 2481, as passed by the House, represented an improvement in access to specialty treatment courts for our Texas veterans. Unfortunately, a last-minute amendment was added in the Senate and would create a juvenile family drug court program that is entirely different and unrelated. This new program would authorize a court to exercise jurisdiction over an individual who has never been charged with any crime, but who resides in the home of a child subject to a case under Title 3 of the Family Code and who is suspected by the Department of Family and Protective Services of having a substance abuse problem. The lack of due-process protections is unacceptable. Next session, I look forward to increasing the ability of our Texas veterans to access treatment without this concerning program attached."