By Alexander                                    H.B. No. 1214

      75R2344 JMC-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the requirement that a peace officer monitor certain

 1-3     children in the performance of community service ordered by a

 1-4     justice or municipal court.

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

 1-6           SECTION 1.  Chapter 54, Family Code, is amended by adding

 1-7     Section 54.0221 to read as follows:

 1-8           Sec. 54.0221.  JUSTICE OR MUNICIPAL COURT: MONITORING

 1-9     COMMUNITY SERVICE.  (a)  Subject to Subsection (b), a justice or

1-10     municipal court that orders a child to perform community service

1-11     may assign a peace officer to monitor the child's performance of

1-12     the community service if:

1-13                 (1)  the court determines that monitoring is necessary

1-14     to ensure that the child completes the community service; and

1-15                 (2)  the child has previously been convicted of a

1-16     misdemeanor offense punishable by fine only or a violation of a

1-17     penal ordinance of a political subdivision or is found to have

1-18     engaged in conduct described by Section 51.03(b)(2).

1-19           (b)  A justice or municipal court may assign a peace officer

1-20     to monitor a child under Subsection (a) only if the officer is

1-21     employed by a local law enforcement agency and the agency agrees to

1-22     monitor the child's performance of community service as ordered by

1-23     the court.

1-24           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997, and

 2-1     applies only to an order to perform community service issued by a

 2-2     justice or municipal court on or after that date.

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

 2-4     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 2-5     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 2-6     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 2-7     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.