BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1421

                                                                                                                                          By: Hodge

Corrections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, once good time has been revoked for a disciplinary offense, an inmate can not gain the time back through cooperation or good behavior.  In an effort to offer wardens a tool to better ensure inmate cooperation and compliance, H.B. 1421 authorizes the restoration of good conduct time at the discretion of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

H.B. 1421 would reenact Section 498.004(a), Government Code, as amended by Chapters 249 and 321, Acts of the 74th Legislature, Regular Session, 1995, and authorizes the Texas Department of Criminal Justice ("the department") to restore good conduct time forfeited under this subsection, rather than prohibiting it from doing so.

EFFECTIVE DATE

Upon passage, or, if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, this Act takes effect on September 1, 2005.