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. 2-6 * * * * *