By: Turner (Senate Sponsor - Williams) H.B. No. 1489
(In the Senate - Received from the House April 7, 2005;
April 11, 2005, read first time and referred to Committee on
Finance; April 22, 2005, reported favorably by the following vote:
Yeas 12, Nays 0; April 22, 2005, sent to printer.)
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the purposes for which money in the compensation to
victims of crime fund may be used.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Article 56.01, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
amended to read as follows:
Art. 56.01. DEFINITIONS. In this chapter:
(1) "Close relative of a deceased victim" means a
person who was the spouse of a deceased victim at the time of the
victim's death or who is a parent or adult brother, sister, or child
of the deceased victim.
(2) "Guardian of a victim" means a person who is the
legal guardian of the victim, whether or not the legal relationship
between the guardian and victim exists because of the age of the
victim or the physical or mental incompetency of the victim.
(3) "Victim" means a person who is the victim of sexual
assault, kidnapping, or aggravated robbery or who has suffered
personal [bodily] injury or death as a result of the criminal
conduct of another.
SECTION 2. Article 56.32(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
amended by adding Subdivision (13) to read as follows:
(13) "Victim-related services or assistance" means
compensation, services, or assistance provided directly to a victim
or claimant for the purpose of supporting or assisting the recovery
of the victim or claimant from the consequences of criminally
injurious conduct.
SECTION 3. Article 56.541(b), Code of Criminal Procedure,
is amended to read as follows:
(b) At the time the attorney general certifies the estimates
made under Subsection (a), the attorney general shall also certify
for the next state fiscal biennium the amount of excess money in the
compensation to victims of crime fund for purposes of Subsection
(c), calculated by subtracting [multiplying] the amount estimated
under Subsection (a)(2) [by 120 percent, and subtracting that
product] from the sum of the amounts estimated under Subsections
(a)(1) and (a)(3).
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.
* * * * *