By Haggerty                                            H.B. No. 941
         77R4589 GWK-D                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the duty of a county to notify the Texas Department of
 1-3     Criminal Justice regarding certain proceedings in cases of
 1-4     defendants or inmates returned to the county on a bench warrant.
 1-5           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-6           SECTION 1.  Chapter 24, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 1-7     amended by adding Article 24.131 to read as follows:
 1-8           Art. 24.131.  NOTIFICATION TO DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE.
 1-9     If after the Texas Department of Criminal Justice transfers a
1-10     defendant or inmate to a county under Article 24.13 and before that
1-11     person is returned to the department the person is released on bail
1-12     or the charges on which the person was convicted and for which the
1-13     person was transferred to the department are dismissed, the county
1-14     shall immediately notify an officer designated by the department of
1-15     the dismissal.
1-16           SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
1-17     a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
1-18     provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
1-19     Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
1-20     Act takes effect September 1, 2001.