By Howard H.B. No. 2730 75R3980 PEP-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the availability of certain material to inmates in 1-3 correctional facilities operated by or under contract with the 1-4 Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 501, Government Code, is 1-7 amended by adding Section 501.020 to read as follows: 1-8 Sec. 501.020. PROHIBITED MATERIALS. (a) The department 1-9 shall prohibit an inmate imprisoned in a correctional facility 1-10 operated by or under contract with the department from receiving 1-11 any sexually explicit material. 1-12 (b) The board shall establish policies requiring the 1-13 executive director to make a specific factual determination as to 1-14 whether material is sexually explicit and requiring a review board 1-15 composed of persons employed by the department to confirm that 1-16 determination before an inmate is denied access to the material. 1-17 (c) In this section, "sexually explicit material" means any 1-18 publication, photograph, or other material containing a visual 1-19 representation the dominant theme of which depicts or describes in 1-20 a lascivious manner nudity or sexual or excretory activities or 1-21 organs. 1-22 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 1-23 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-24 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-1 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-2 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-3 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.