1-1 By: Cook (Senate Sponsor - Sims) H.B. No. 269
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 11, 1995;
1-3 May 12, 1995, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
1-4 Justice; May 22, 1995, reported favorably by the following vote:
1-5 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 22, 1995, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to the redundant reporting of information within the
1-9 criminal justice information system.
1-10 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11 SECTION 1. Article 60.06(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-12 amended to read as follows:
1-13 (a) Each criminal justice agency shall:
1-14 (1) compile and maintain records needed for reporting
1-15 data required by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the
1-16 Department of Public Safety;
1-17 (2) transmit to the Texas Department of Criminal
1-18 Justice and the Department of Public Safety, when and in the manner
1-19 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the Department of
1-20 Public Safety direct, all data required by the Texas Department of
1-21 Criminal Justice and the Department of Public Safety<, other than
1-22 reports concerning the identity of a juvenile offender or the
1-23 offender's parents>;
1-24 (3) give the Department of Public Safety and the Texas
1-25 Department of Criminal Justice or their accredited agents access to
1-26 the agency for the purpose of inspection to determine the
1-27 completeness and accuracy of data reported; <and>
1-28 (4) cooperate with the Department of Public Safety and
1-29 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice so that the Department of
1-30 Public Safety and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice may
1-31 properly and efficiently perform their duties under this chapter;
1-32 and
1-33 (5) cooperate with the Department of Public Safety and
1-34 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to identify and eliminate
1-35 redundant reporting of information to the criminal justice
1-36 information system.
1-37 SECTION 2. Article 60.08(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-38 amended to read as follows:
1-39 (a) The Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department
1-40 of Criminal Justice shall, by rule, develop reporting procedures
1-41 that:
1-42 (1) ensure that the offender processing data is
1-43 reported from the time an offender is arrested until the time an
1-44 offender is released; and
1-45 (2) provide measures and policies designed to identify
1-46 and eliminate redundant reporting of information to the criminal
1-47 justice information system.
1-48 SECTION 3. Chapter 60, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-49 amended by adding Article 60.19 to read as follows:
1-50 Art. 60.19. REPORT TO LEGISLATURE. (a) The Texas
1-51 Department of Criminal Justice shall:
1-52 (1) analyze the department's existing reporting
1-53 requirements for criminal justice agencies for the corrections
1-54 tracking system; and
1-55 (2) not later than December 1, 1996, report to the
1-56 legislature the results of the analysis and recommendations for
1-57 improving the reporting requirements.
1-58 (b) The report required under Subsection (a)(2) must
1-59 contain:
1-60 (1) an evaluation of the current corrections tracking
1-61 system;
1-62 (2) an analysis of automated and manual reporting
1-63 methods in the corrections tracking system;
1-64 (3) an outline of duplications in reporting in the
1-65 corrections tracking system, including other automated or manual
1-66 reporting under the department's control;
1-67 (4) an analysis of the feasibility of reducing or
1-68 eliminating manual reporting by using existing data in the
2-1 corrections tracking system;
2-2 (5) a list of the divisions in the department that
2-3 should be accountable for ensuring that the recommendations are
2-4 implemented; and
2-5 (6) a time line for implementing the automated
2-6 corrections tracking system and reducing or eliminating manual
2-7 reporting.
2-8 (c) This article expires September 1, 1997.
2-9 SECTION 4. The Department of Public Safety and the Texas
2-10 Department of Criminal Justice shall adopt the rules required by
2-11 Article 60.08(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, as amended by this
2-12 Act, not later than January 1, 1996.
2-13 SECTION 5. The importance of this legislation and the
2-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
2-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
2-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
2-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,
2-18 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
2-19 passage, and it is so enacted.
2-20 * * * * *