By: Shapiro S.B. No. 51 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the forfeiture of good conduct time by certain inmates 1-2 confined in the institutional division or a transfer facility of 1-3 the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Chapter 498, Government Code, is amended by 1-6 adding Section 498.0042 to read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 498.0042. FORFEITURE FOR CONTACTING VICTIMS. (a) The 1-8 board shall adopt rules that prohibit an inmate in the 1-9 institutional division or in a transfer facility from contacting by 1-10 letter, telephone, or any other means, either directly or 1-11 indirectly, a victim of the offense for which the inmate is serving 1-12 a sentence, if: 1-13 (1) the victim was younger than 17 years of age at the 1-14 time of the commission of the offense; and 1-15 (2) the department has not, before the inmate makes 1-16 contact: 1-17 (A) received written consent to the contact 1-18 from: 1-19 (i) a parent of the victim, other than the 1-20 inmate; 1-21 (ii) a legal guardian of the victim; or 1-22 (iii) the victim, if the victim is 17 1-23 years of age or older at the time of giving the consent; and 2-1 (B) provided the inmate with a copy of the 2-2 consent. 2-3 (b) If, during the actual term of imprisonment of an inmate 2-4 in the institutional division or a transfer facility, the inmate 2-5 violates a rule adopted under Subsection (a), the department shall 2-6 forfeit all or any part of the inmate's accrued good conduct time. 2-7 The department may not restore good conduct time forfeited under 2-8 this subsection. 2-9 SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies to an 2-10 inmate who violates a rule adopted by the Texas Board of Criminal 2-11 Justice under Section 498.0042, Government Code, as added by this 2-12 Act, on or after the effective date of the rule, regardless of 2-13 whether the inmate is serving a sentence for an offense committed 2-14 before, on, or after the effective date of the rule. 2-15 SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 1997. 2-16 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the 2-17 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 2-18 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-19 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-20 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.