78R6916 GWK-D

By:  Allen                                                        H.B. No. 1480



A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the efficient administration of the Texas Department of 
Criminal Justice.
	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:                        
	SECTION 1.  Section 493.0021, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
	(c)  The executive director and the board shall evaluate the 
organizational arrangement of divisions within the department at 
least annually, and on determining that efficient administration of 
the department would be best served by reassigning duties among 
divisions, shall reassign those duties promptly.
	SECTION 2.  Chapter 493, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Section 493.026 to read as follows:
	Sec. 493.026.  CERTIFICATION PROGRAM FOR CORRECTIONAL 
OFFICERS.  The executive director shall establish a program to 
provide correctional officers a certification process to 
acknowledge those officers who participate in training and 
continuing education programs.
	SECTION 3.  Subchapter A, Chapter 495, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 495.011 to read as follows:
	Sec. 495.011.  CONTRACTS FOR MULTIPLE FACILITIES.  The board 
shall consider whether a private vendor or commissioners court may 
provide savings to the department by constructing or operating for 
the department facilities to house inmates of the institutional 
division and defendants sentenced to state jail felony facilities.
	SECTION 4.  Section 497.002, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subsection (c) to read as follows:
	(c)  The office shall consider ways in which to increase the 
percentage of articles and products purchased from the office by 
the department and the ways in which the office may provide 
maintenance services to the department in a cost-effective manner.
	SECTION 5.  Subchapter A, Chapter 501, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 501.0051 to read as follows:
	Sec. 501.0051.  IMPROVED VOCATIONAL TRAINING.  The 
department shall consider reorganizing the administration of 
educational and vocational programs provided by the department.
	SECTION 6.  Subchapter A, Chapter 507, Government Code, is 
amended by adding Section 507.0041 to read as follows:
	Sec. 507.0041.  APPLICABILITY OF ALLOCATION POLICIES.  The 
board shall determine whether an allocation policy described by 
Section 507.004 would be beneficial if applied to other divisions 
within the department.
	SECTION 7.  Section 508.044, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subsection (g) to read as follows:
	(g)  The policy board shall design a procedure to determine 
whether a procedure exists to reduce the incidence of revocations 
of release on parole or mandatory supervision for reasons other 
than the commission of a new criminal offense.
	SECTION 8.  Section 509.011, Government Code, is amended by 
adding Subsection (i) to read as follows:
	(i)  The division shall determine whether the added cost to 
the state from imprisonment of individuals whose community 
supervision is revoked for technical violations of conditions of 
community supervision is a cost that should be recovered by a 
reduction in per diem payments under Subsection (a).
	SECTION 9.  Chapter 19, Education Code, is amended by adding 
Section 19.0051 to read as follows:
	Sec. 19.0051.  REEVALUATION OF EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL 
TRAINING PROGRAMS.  The board shall determine whether current 
eligibility requirements for educational and vocational services 
result in the expenditure of resources without providing 
significant improvement in rates of rehabilitation or significant 
reductions in rates of recidivism.
	SECTION 10.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.