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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to improving the accuracy of reporting concerning certain |
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criminal history. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 60, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Article 60.10 to read as follows: |
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Art. 60.10. DATA REPORTING IMPROVEMENT PLAN. (a) In this |
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article, "disposition completeness percentage" has the meaning |
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assigned by Article 60.21(c). |
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(b) This article applies only to a county that has an |
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average disposition completeness percentage, including both |
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juvenile and adult dispositions, of less than 90 percent, as |
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reflected in the first report the Department of Public Safety |
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submits under Article 60.21(b)(2) on or after January 1, 2009. |
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(c) The commissioners court of a county described by |
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Subsection (b) shall establish a local data advisory board as |
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described by Article 60.09 not later than November 1, 2009. A local |
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data advisory board established under this article may include any |
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person described by Article 60.09(b) and must include: |
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(1) the sheriff of the county, or the sheriff's |
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designee; |
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(2) an attorney who represents the state in the |
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district courts of the county; |
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(3) an attorney who represents the state in the county |
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courts of the county; |
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(4) the clerk for the district courts of the county, or |
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the clerk's designee; |
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(5) the clerk for the county courts of the county, or |
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the clerk's designee; |
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(6) the police chief of the municipality with the |
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greatest population located in the county, or the chief's designee; |
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(7) a representative of the county's automated data |
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processing services, if the county performs those services; and |
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(8) a representative of an entity with whom the county |
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contracts for automated data processing services, if the county |
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contracts for those services. |
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(d) In addition to the duties described by Article 60.09(a), |
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a local data advisory board established under this article must |
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prepare a data reporting improvement plan. The data reporting |
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improvement plan must: |
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(1) describe the manner in which the county intends to |
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improve the county's disposition completeness percentage; |
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(2) ensure that the county takes the steps necessary |
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for the county's average disposition completeness percentage to be |
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equal to or greater than 90 percent in the first report the |
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Department of Public Safety submits under Article 60.21(b)(2) on or |
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after January 1, 2013; and |
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(3) include a comprehensive strategy by which the |
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county will permanently maintain the county's disposition |
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completeness percentage at or above 90 percent. |
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(e) Not later than June 1, 2010, a local data advisory board |
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established under this article shall submit to the Department of |
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Public Safety the data reporting improvement plan prepared for the |
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county. On receipt of a data reporting improvement plan under this |
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article, the department shall post the plan on the Internet website |
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maintained by the department. |
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(f) The public safety director of the Department of Public |
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Safety may adopt rules concerning the contents and form of a data |
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reporting improvement plan prepared under this article. |
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(g) This article expires September 1, 2013. |
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SECTION 2. Article 60.21, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) The Department of Public Safety shall: |
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(1) monitor the submission of arrest and disposition |
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information by local jurisdictions; |
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(2) annually submit to the Legislative Budget Board, |
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the governor, the state auditor, and the standing committees in the |
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senate and house of representatives that have primary jurisdiction |
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over criminal justice and the Department of Public Safety [council] |
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a report regarding the level of reporting by local jurisdictions; |
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(3) identify local jurisdictions that do not report |
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arrest or disposition information or that partially report |
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information; and |
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(4) for use in determining the status of outstanding |
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dispositions, publish monthly on the Department of Public Safety's |
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Internet website or on another electronic publication a report |
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listing each arrest by local jurisdiction for which there is no |
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corresponding final court disposition. |
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(c) The report described by Subsection (b)(2) must contain a |
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disposition completeness percentage for each county in this state. |
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For purposes of this subsection, "disposition completeness |
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percentage" means the percentage of arrest charges a county reports |
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to the Department of Public Safety to be entered in the computerized |
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criminal history system under this chapter that were brought |
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against a person in the county for which a disposition has been |
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subsequently reported and entered into the computerized criminal |
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history system. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |