|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the use of the judicial and court personnel training |
|
|
fund. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 56.003, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (g) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(a) Unless the legislature specifically appropriates or |
|
|
provides additional money for purposes of this subsection, the |
|
|
[The] court of criminal appeals may not use more than three percent |
|
|
of the money appropriated in any one fiscal year to hire staff and |
|
|
provide for the proper administration of this chapter. |
|
|
(g) The court of criminal appeals shall grant legal funds to |
|
|
statewide professional associations and other entities that |
|
|
provide innocence training programs related to defendants' claims |
|
|
of factual innocence following conviction to law enforcement |
|
|
officers, law students, and other participants. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Subsection (b), Section 56.004, Government Code, |
|
|
is amended to read as follows: |
|
|
(b) The legislature shall appropriate funds from the |
|
|
judicial and court personnel training fund to the court of criminal |
|
|
appeals to provide for: |
|
|
(1) continuing legal education, technical assistance, |
|
|
and other support programs for prosecuting attorneys and their |
|
|
personnel, criminal defense attorneys who regularly represent |
|
|
indigent defendants in criminal matters, and justices of the peace |
|
|
and their court personnel; and |
|
|
(2) innocence training programs for law enforcement |
|
|
officers, law students, and other participants. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 56.006, Government Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 56.006. RULES; OVERSIGHT. (a) The court of criminal |
|
|
appeals may adopt rules for programs relating to education and |
|
|
training for attorneys, judges, justices of the peace, district |
|
|
clerks, county clerks, law enforcement officers, law students, |
|
|
other participants, and court personnel, including court |
|
|
coordinators, as provided by Section 56.003 and for the |
|
|
administration of those programs, including rules that: |
|
|
(1) require entities receiving a grant of funds to |
|
|
provide legislatively required training; and |
|
|
(2) base the awarding of grant funds to an entity on |
|
|
qualitative information about the entity's programs or services and |
|
|
the entity's ability to meet financial performance standards. |
|
|
(b) The court of criminal appeals, for the proper |
|
|
administration of this chapter and as part of its oversight of |
|
|
training programs for attorneys, judges, justices of the peace, |
|
|
district clerks, county clerks, law enforcement officers, law |
|
|
students, other participants, and court personnel, including court |
|
|
coordinators, as provided by Section 56.003, shall monitor both the |
|
|
financial performance and the program performance of entities |
|
|
receiving a grant of funds under this chapter. |
|
|
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |