HBA-SEB H.B. 3346 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3346 By: Turner, Bob Juvenile Justice and Family Issues 4/9/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a juvenile may not be held in a criminal justice facility which does not provide a visual and sound barrier from adult inmates. In rural areas, few of these facilities exist. As a result, a juvenile may need to be transported between a juvenile detention center and the rural county where the juvenile's hearing takes place. The process of transporting a juvenile in such a situation may be costly and may cover a great distance. As an alternative, a juvenile hearing could be held through video conferencing. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice uses video conferencing for hearings involving inmate litigation. H.B. 3346 authorizes a court to hold a juvenile hearing with video communications technology. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Title 3, Family Code, by adding Section 51.20, as follows: Sec. 51.20. HEARING. Authorizes a court to hold a hearing under this title (Juvenile Justice Code) at a jail or a facility operated by or under contract with the local law enforcement agency. Authorizes the court to conduct the hearing with video communications technology that permits the court to see and hear the defendant and permits the defendant to see and hear the court and any other witnesses. Requires a hearing conducted by video communications technology to be recorded on videotape. Establishes that the recording is sufficient to serve as a permanent record of the hearing. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.