By Place H.B. No. 1396
74R3997 PEP-F
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to certain reports and public records to be prepared by a
1-3 personal bond office.
1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-5 SECTION 1. Article 17.42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-6 amended by adding Sections 5 and 6 to read as follows:
1-7 Sec. 5. (a) A personal bond office established under this
1-8 article shall:
1-9 (1) prepare a record containing information about any
1-10 accused person who, after review by the office, is released by a
1-11 court on personal bond;
1-12 (2) update the record on a weekly basis; and
1-13 (3) post a copy of the record in the office of the
1-14 clerk of the county court in any county served by the office.
1-15 (b) In preparing a record under Subsection (a), the office
1-16 shall include in the record a statement of:
1-17 (1) the offense with which the person is charged;
1-18 (2) any offense for which the person was convicted
1-19 within the six years preceding the date on which charges were filed
1-20 in the pending matter;
1-21 (3) the dates of any court appearances scheduled in
1-22 the matter that were previously unattended by the person or that
1-23 are to be held in the future;
1-24 (4) whether a warrant has been issued for the person's
2-1 arrest for failure to appear in accordance with the terms of the
2-2 person's release; and
2-3 (5) whether the person has failed to comply with
2-4 conditions of release on personal bond and, if so, a description of
2-5 the conduct constituting the failure.
2-6 Sec. 6. (a) Not later than April 1 of each year, a personal
2-7 bond office established under this article shall submit to the
2-8 commissioners court or district and county judges that established
2-9 the office an annual report containing information about the
2-10 operations of the office during the preceding year.
2-11 (b) In preparing an annual report under Subsection (a), the
2-12 office shall include in the report a statement of:
2-13 (1) the office's operating budget;
2-14 (2) the number of positions maintained for office
2-15 staff;
2-16 (3) the number of accused persons who, after review by
2-17 the office, were released by a court on personal bond; and
2-18 (4) the number of persons described by Subdivision
2-19 (3):
2-20 (A) who were convicted of the same offense or of
2-21 any felony within the six years preceding the date on which charges
2-22 were filed in the matter pending during the person's release;
2-23 (B) who failed to attend a scheduled court
2-24 appearance; and
2-25 (C) for whom a warrant was issued for the
2-26 person's arrest for failure to appear in accordance with the terms
2-27 of the person's release.
3-1 SECTION 2. The first annual report required by Section 6,
3-2 Article 17.42, Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by this Act,
3-3 shall be completed by a personal bond office not later than April
3-4 1, 1996, except that the report must cover only that period between
3-5 September 1, 1995, and the date on which the report is prepared.
3-6 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
3-7 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-8 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-9 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-10 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-11 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.