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Senate Bill 906 |
Senate Author: Perry |
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Effective: 9-1-21 |
House Sponsor: Murr |
Senate Bill 906 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure and Health and Safety Code to revise provisions relating to the civil commitment of sexually violent predators. Among other provisions, the bill provides a judge discretion in delaying or continuing a trial to determine a person's predator status after their sentence discharge date and provides for a retrial after an appeal in certain circumstances. The bill revises provisions relating to jury size, selection, and determination in a civil commitment trial and provides for a person's right to appear at the trial through their attorney and through the use of remote technology.
Senate Bill 906 requires the Texas Civil Commitment Office to report a change in address to each applicable local law enforcement authority for a civilly committed sexually violent predator required to reside in a location other than a civil commitment center. The bill provides for an automatic court hearing to review a determination by the office to return a civilly committed person from less restrictive housing and supervision to a more restrictive setting and sets an evidentiary standard for a court order transferring such a person to less restrictive housing and supervision. The bill provides for the office's authority to issue emergency detention orders to bring certain recently civilly committed persons under the office's supervision and requires a civilly committed person to provide certain information to the office on request for purposes of determining indigence with respect to the payment of civil commitment costs.