80R3030 HLT-D

By: Eissler H.B. No. 409

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to requiring certain inmates to receive a high school equivalency certificate before their release or as a condition of release on parole or to mandatory supervision.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 508.183, Government Code, is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 508.183. EDUCATIONAL SKILL LEVEL. (a) A parole panel shall require as a condition of release on parole or release to mandatory supervision that an inmate demonstrate to the parole panel whether the inmate:

(1) has an educational skill level that is equal to or greater than the average skill level of students who have completed the sixth grade in a public school in this state, if the inmate is younger than 18 years of age; or

(2) has received a high school equivalency certificate, if the inmate is 18 years of age or older.

(b) If the parole panel determines that the inmate has not attained the [that] skill level required by Subsection (a)(1) or received a high school equivalency certificate, as required by Subsection (a)(2), the parole panel shall require as a condition of parole or mandatory supervision that the inmate as a releasee attain that level of educational skill or receive a high school equivalency certificate, as applicable at the time of release, unless the parole panel determines that the inmate lacks the intellectual capacity or the learning ability to ever achieve that level of skill or receive that certificate.

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only to a person who is released on parole or to mandatory supervision on or after the effective date of this Act. A person released on parole or to mandatory supervision before the effective date of this Act is covered by the law in effect on the date the person was

released, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007.