By: West, et al. S.B. No. 1580 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT 1-1 relating to the creation of the Texas Violent Gang Task Force. 1-2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-3 SECTION 1. Chapter 61, Code of Criminal Procedure, is 1-4 amended by adding Article 61.07 to read as follows: 1-5 Art. 61.07. TEXAS VIOLENT GANG TASK FORCE. (a) In this 1-6 article, "task force" means the Texas Violent Gang Task Force. 1-7 (b) The purpose of the task force is to form a strategic 1-8 partnership between state, federal, and local law enforcement 1-9 agencies to better enable law enforcement and correctional agencies 1-10 to take a proactive stance towards tracking gang activity and the 1-11 growth and spread of gangs statewide. 1-12 (c) The task force shall focus its efforts on: 1-13 (1) developing a statewide networking system that will 1-14 provide timely access to gang information; 1-15 (2) establishing communication between different law 1-16 enforcement agencies, combining independent agency resources, and 1-17 joining agencies together in a cooperative effort to focus on gang 1-18 membership, gang activity, and gang migration trends; and 1-19 (3) forming a working group of law enforcement and 1-20 correctional representatives from throughout the state to discuss 1-21 specific cases and investigations involving gangs and other related 1-22 gang activities. 1-23 (d) The task force may take any other actions as necessary 1-24 to accomplish the purposes of this article. 2-1 (e) The Department of Public Safety shall support the task 2-2 force to assist in coordinating statewide antigang initiatives. 2-3 (f) The task force shall consist of: 2-4 (1) a representative of the Department of Public 2-5 Safety designated by the director of that agency; 2-6 (2) a representative of the Texas Department of 2-7 Criminal Justice designated by the executive director of that 2-8 agency; 2-9 (3) a representative of the Texas Youth Commission 2-10 designated by the executive director of that agency; 2-11 (4) a representative of the Texas Juvenile Probation 2-12 Commission designated by the executive director of that agency; 2-13 (5) a representative of the Criminal Justice Policy 2-14 Council designated by the executive director of that agency; 2-15 (6) a representative of the office of the attorney 2-16 general designated by the attorney general; and 2-17 (7) three local law enforcement or adult or juvenile 2-18 community supervision personnel and a prosecuting attorney 2-19 designated by the governor. 2-20 SECTION 2. Not later than October 1, 1999, the governor, the 2-21 attorney general, the director of the Department of Public Safety 2-22 of the State of Texas, and the executive directors of the Texas 2-23 Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Youth Commission, the 2-24 Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, and the Criminal Justice 2-25 Policy Council shall designate their respective representatives to 2-26 the Texas Violent Gang Task Force created under Article 61.07, Code 3-1 of Criminal Procedure, as added by this Act. 3-2 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 3-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 3-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 3-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 3-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended, 3-7 and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its 3-8 passage, and it is so enacted.