1-1 By: Turner of Coleman (Senate Sponsor - Armbrister) H.B. No. 726
1-2 (In the Senate - Received from the House May 11, 2001;
1-3 May 11, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
1-4 Justice; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
1-5 Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
1-6 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-7 AN ACT
1-8 relating to procedures and policies concerning the duration,
1-9 eligibility for renewal, and assumption of costs of criminal
1-10 justice grant projects.
1-11 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-12 SECTION 1. Section 772.006(a), Government Code, is amended to
1-13 read as follows:
1-14 (a) The governor shall establish a criminal justice division
1-15 in the governor's office to:
1-16 (1) advise and assist the governor in developing
1-17 policies, plans, programs, and proposed legislation for improving
1-18 the coordination, administration, and effectiveness of the criminal
1-19 justice system;
1-20 (2) administer the criminal justice planning fund;
1-21 (3) prepare a state comprehensive criminal justice
1-22 plan, to update the plan annually based on an analysis of the
1-23 state's criminal justice problems and needs, and to encourage
1-24 identical or substantially similar local and regional comprehensive
1-25 criminal justice planning efforts;
1-26 (4) establish goals, priorities, and standards for
1-27 programs and projects to improve the administration of justice and
1-28 the efficiency of law enforcement, the judicial system,
1-29 prosecution, criminal defense, and adult and juvenile corrections
1-30 and rehabilitation;
1-31 (5) award grants to state agencies, units of local
1-32 government, school districts, and private, nonprofit corporations
1-33 from the criminal justice planning fund for programs and projects
1-34 on consideration of the goals, priorities, and standards
1-35 recommended by the Criminal Justice Policy Council;
1-36 (6) apply for, obtain, and allocate for the purposes
1-37 of this section any federal or other funds which may be made
1-38 available for programs and projects that address the goals,
1-39 priorities, and standards established in local and regional
1-40 comprehensive criminal justice planning efforts or assist those
1-41 efforts;
1-42 (7) administer the funds provided by this section in
1-43 such a manner as to ensure that grants received under this section
1-44 do not supplant state or local funds;
1-45 (8) [establish procedures and policies that require
1-46 that the costs of programs and projects funded to local general
1-47 purpose units of government be assumed over a period of five years
1-48 out of local revenues;]
1-49 [(9)] monitor and evaluate programs and projects
1-50 funded under this section, cooperate with and render technical
1-51 assistance to state agencies and local governments seeking to
1-52 reduce crime or enhance the performance and operation of the
1-53 criminal justice system, and collect from any state or local
1-54 government entity information, data, statistics, or other material
1-55 necessary to carry out the purposes of this section;
1-56 (9) [(10)] submit a biennial report to the legislature
1-57 reporting the division's activities during the preceding biennium
1-58 including the comprehensive state criminal justice plans and other
1-59 studies, evaluations, crime data analyses, reports, or proposed
1-60 legislation that the governor determines appropriate or the
1-61 legislature requests; and
1-62 (10) [(11)] perform other duties as necessary to carry
1-63 out the duties listed in this subsection [Subdivisions (a)(1)
1-64 through (a)(10)] and adopt rules and procedures as necessary.
2-1 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
2-2 a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
2-3 provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
2-4 Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
2-5 Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
2-6 * * * * *