By Burnam                                        H.B. No. 658

      75R2524 PEP-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the county of residence of certain persons released on

 1-3     parole or to mandatory supervision after serving sentences for

 1-4     sexual offenses.

 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Section 8A, Article 42.18, Code of Criminal

 1-7     Procedure, is amended by adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:

 1-8           (g)  The pardons and paroles division shall, on October 1 and

 1-9     March 1 of each year, determine for each county the total number of

1-10     sex offenders under the supervision and control of the division

1-11     residing in the county, the percentage that number represents of

1-12     the total number of sex offenders in the state under the

1-13     supervision and control of the division, the number of sex

1-14     offenders under the supervision and control of the division

1-15     residing in the county as required by a parole panel under

1-16     Subsection (a) of this section, and the number of sex offenders

1-17     under the supervision and control of the division residing in the

1-18     county as  permitted by a parole panel under Subsection (b)(2)(D).

1-19     The division shall notify the sheriff of a county if the total

1-20     number of sex offenders under the supervision and control of the

1-21     division residing in the county exceeds 10 percent of the total

1-22     number of sex offenders in the state under the supervision and

1-23     control of the division.  A  parole panel may not require a sex

1-24     offender to reside in a particular county under Subsection

 2-1     (b)(2)(D) if the total number of sex offenders under the

 2-2     supervision and control of the division residing in the county

 2-3     exceeds 20 percent of the total number of sex offenders in the

 2-4     state under the supervision and control of the division.  In this

 2-5     subsection, "sex offender"  means a person who is released on

 2-6     parole or to mandatory supervision after serving a sentence for an

 2-7     offense described by Section 8(u)(2).

 2-8           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

 2-9     applies only to a person who is released on parole or to mandatory

2-10     supervision on or after that date.

2-11           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-12     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-13     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

2-14     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

2-15     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.