BILL ANALYSIS



Corrections Committee
H.B. 253
By: Alvarado
04-18-95
Committee Report (Amended)


BACKGROUND

Texas parole officers sometimes have limited information on their
parolees' criminal background.  Parole officers are provided by the
Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) a case summary prepared
by Transitional Planning which includes the offense of record, time
served, offender's address upon release, substance abuse data,
employment information, criminal history and facts surrounding the
offense.  The institutional division receives several documents
that must be received before they will accept the inmate from a
county.  Some of these documents are: a copy of the judgment
entered by the Court; a written report stating the nature and the
seriousness of each offense; a copy of the Victim Impact Statement--if one was prepared; a copy  of the record of arrest for each
offense; and a copy of the presentence or postsentence
investigation report.  This information that the institutional
division has may be helpful to a parole officer in their treatment
of their parolees.

PURPOSE

To require the institutional division of TDCJ to provide the
pardons and paroles division copies of documents received including
Pre-sentence Investigation Reports, criminal history rap sheets,
Victim Impact Statements and other essential information.

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.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1: Amends Section 8(d), Article 42.09, Code of Criminal
Procedure, to require the institutional division, upon the release
of a defendant on parole or to mandatory supervision, to
immediately provide the pardons and parole division with copies of
documents provided to the institutional division upon the
defendants arrival to TDCJ.  Also requires the pardons and parole
division to provide these copies to the parole officer appointed to
supervise the defendant no later than 14 days after the date of the
defendant's release.

SECTION 2: Effective date: September 1, 1995.

SECTION 3: Emergency clause.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

The proposed committee amendment requires the pardons and paroles
division to provide to the parole officer a comprehensive summary
of the information contained in the documents referenced in this
section.  The amendment provides that this summary shall include a
current photograph of the defendant and a complete set of the
defendant's fingerprints.  The amendment also provides that upon
written request from the county sheriff, the photograph and
fingerprints shall be filed with the sheriff of the county to which
the parolee is assigned if that county is not the county from the
which parolee was sentenced.




SUMMARY OF COMMITTEE ACTION

H.B. 253 was considered by the Committee on Corrections in a public
hearing on March 14, 1995.  The Chair recognized Representative
Alvarado to explain the bill.

The Chair recognized the following person to testify neutrally on
the bill:
     Melinda Bozarth, representing the Texas Department of Criminal
     Justice; and
     Alex McAlmon, representing the Texas State Comptroller of
     Public Accounts.

The bill was referred to a subcommittee to be named later by the
Chair.

After being recalled from subcommittee, the bill was considered by
the committee in a public hearing on April 18, 1995.  The committee
considered one amendment to the bill.  The amendment was adopted
without objection.  The bill was reported favorably, as amended, to
the full House with the recommendation that it do pass and be
printed by a record vote of 6 ayes, 0 nays, 0 pnv, and 3 absent.