79R774 RMB-F

By:  Ellis                                                        S.B. No. 231


A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the applicability of the death penalty to a capital offense committed by a person with mental retardation. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Chapter 6, Penal Code, is amended by adding Section 6.05 to read as follows: Sec. 6.05. MENTAL RETARDATION AFFECTING DEATH SENTENCE. (a) In this section, "mental retardation" has the meaning assigned by Section 591.003, Health and Safety Code. (b) A person may not be punished by death for an offense committed while the person was a person with mental retardation. (c) A person who is sentenced to death may submit to the convicting court a motion for a hearing on the issue of mental retardation, to be conducted as provided by Chapter 46C, Code of Criminal Procedure. On a finding by the court that documentary evidence supports an assertion that the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense, the court may order a hearing that is conducted as provided by Chapter 46C, Code of Criminal Procedure. SECTION 2. Title 1, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by adding Chapter 46C to read as follows:
CHAPTER 46C. CAPITAL CASE: EFFECT OF MENTAL RETARDATION
Art. 46C.01. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "mental retardation" has the meaning assigned by Section 591.003, Health and Safety Code. Art. 46C.02. RESTRICTION ON DEATH PENALTY. Notwithstanding Section 19.03(b), Penal Code, or Article 37.071, a person who at the time of commission of a capital offense was a person with mental retardation may not be punished by death. Art. 46C.03. HEARING. (a) A person who is sentenced to death in a capital case, at any time after the person is sentenced, may request that the convicting court hold a hearing to determine whether the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (b) On receipt of a request under Subsection (a), the court shall notify all interested parties of the request. If the court determines that documentary evidence supports the assertion of mental retardation, a jury shall be impaneled to determine whether the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. The person may waive the right to jury determination under this subsection and request that the court make the determination. (c) Instructions to the jury submitting the issue of mental retardation shall require the jury to state in its verdict whether the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (d) If the jury is unable to agree on a unanimous verdict after a reasonable opportunity to deliberate, the court shall declare a mistrial, discharge the jury, and impanel another jury to determine whether the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (e) At the conclusion of the hearing under this article, the court shall dismiss the jury. Art. 46C.04. BURDEN OF PROOF. (a) At a hearing under this chapter, the burden is on the person asserting mental retardation to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (b) A person who has an intelligence quotient of 70 or less is presumed to be a person who was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (c) The state may offer evidence to rebut the presumption of mental retardation or the person's claim. Art. 46C.05. DETERMINATION REGARDING MENTAL RETARDATION. (a) If the convicting court or jury, whichever is the finder of fact, determines that the person asserting mental retardation was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense, the court shall immediately forward a copy of the finding to the court of criminal appeals. (b) The court of criminal appeals shall adopt rules as necessary regarding receipt of the information forwarded to that court under this article. Art. 46C.06. APPOINTMENT OF DISINTERESTED EXPERTS. On the request of either party or on the convicting court's own motion, the court shall appoint disinterested experts experienced and qualified in the field of diagnosing mental retardation to examine the person and determine whether the person is a person with mental retardation. The court may order the person to submit to an examination by experts appointed under this article. Art. 46C.07. APPEAL. (a) The person asserting mental retardation and the state are entitled to appeal a determination as to whether the person was a person with mental retardation at the time of the commission of the offense. (b) The court of criminal appeals shall adopt rules as necessary for the administration of the appeals process established by this article. (c) An appeal under this article is a direct appeal to the court of criminal appeals, and the court of criminal appeals, as provided by court rule, shall give priority to the review of an appeal under this article over other cases before the court. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2005.