1-1     By:  West, et al.                                     S.B. No. 1580
 1-2           (In the Senate - Filed March 12, 1999; March 15, 1999, read
 1-3     first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
 1-4     April 12, 1999, reported favorably, as amended, by the following
 1-5     vote:  Yeas 7, Nays 0; April 12, 1999, sent to printer.)
 1-6     COMMITTEE AMENDMENT NO. 1                               By:  Duncan
 1-7           Amend S.B. No. 1580 by adding "or adult or juvenile community
 1-8     supervision" between the word "enforcement" and the word
 1-9     "personnel" on page 1 at line 52.
1-10                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-11                                   AN ACT
1-12     relating to the creation of the Texas Violent Gang Task Force.
1-13           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-14           SECTION 1.  Chapter 61, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-15     amended by adding Article 61.07 to read as follows:
1-16           Art. 61.07.  TEXAS VIOLENT GANG TASK FORCE.  (a)  In this
1-17     article, "task force" means the Texas Violent Gang Task Force.
1-18           (b)  The purpose of the task force is to form a strategic
1-19     partnership between state, federal, and local law enforcement
1-20     agencies to better enable law enforcement and correctional agencies
1-21     to take a proactive stance towards tracking gang activity and the
1-22     growth and spread of gangs statewide.
1-23           (c)  The task force shall focus its efforts on:
1-24                 (1)  developing a statewide networking system that will
1-25     provide timely access to gang information;
1-26                 (2)  establishing communication between different law
1-27     enforcement agencies, combining independent agency resources, and
1-28     joining agencies together in a cooperative effort to focus on gang
1-29     membership, gang activity, and gang migration trends; and
1-30                 (3)  forming a working group of law enforcement and
1-31     correctional representatives from throughout the state to discuss
1-32     specific cases and investigations involving gangs and other related
1-33     gang activities.
1-34           (d)  The task force may take any other actions as necessary
1-35     to accomplish the purposes of this article.
1-36           (e)  The Department of Public Safety shall support the task
1-37     force to assist in coordinating statewide antigang initiatives.
1-38           (f)  The task force shall consist of:
1-39                 (1)  a representative of the Department of Public
1-40     Safety designated by the director of that agency;
1-41                 (2)  a representative of the Texas Department of
1-42     Criminal Justice designated by the executive director of that
1-43     agency;
1-44                 (3)  a representative of the Texas Youth Commission
1-45     designated by the executive director of that agency;
1-46                 (4)  a representative of the Texas Juvenile Probation
1-47     Commission designated by the executive director of that agency;
1-48                 (5)  a representative of the Criminal Justice Policy
1-49     Council designated by the executive director of that agency;
1-50                 (6)  a representative of the office of the attorney
1-51     general designated by the attorney general; and
1-52                 (7)  three local law enforcement personnel and a
1-53     prosecuting attorney designated by the governor.
1-54           SECTION 2.  Not later than October 1, 1999, the governor, the
1-55     attorney general, the director of the Department of Public Safety
1-56     of the State of Texas, and the executive directors of the Texas
1-57     Department of Criminal Justice, the Texas Youth Commission, the
1-58     Texas Juvenile Probation Commission, and the Criminal Justice
1-59     Policy Council shall designate their respective representatives to
1-60     the Texas Violent Gang Task Force created under Article 61.07, Code
1-61     of Criminal Procedure, as added by this Act.
1-62           SECTION 3.  The importance of this legislation and the
1-63     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,
 2-4     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its
 2-5     passage, and it is so enacted.
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