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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the timely transfer of inmates from certain county |
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jails to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter F, Chapter 499, Government Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 499.127 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 499.127. REQUIRED TRANSFER OF INMATES FROM CERTAIN |
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COUNTIES. (a) This section applies only to the department's |
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acceptance of an inmate who is under an order of commitment to the |
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department and who is confined in a county jail in a county in which |
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the average number of days that an inmate eligible for transfer to |
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the department remains in the county jail exceeds the statewide |
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average number of days an inmate eligible for transfer remains in a |
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county jail before the inmate is accepted by the department. |
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(b) Notwithstanding Section 499.121(c) or any other law, |
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the department shall accept an inmate described by Subsection (a) |
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not later than the date that corresponds to the statewide average |
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number of days an inmate eligible for transfer remains in a county |
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jail before the inmate is accepted by the department. |
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SECTION 2. Section 499.127, Government Code, as added by |
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this Act, applies only to the acceptance by the Texas Department of |
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Criminal Justice of an inmate who is confined in a county jail and |
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is under an order of commitment to the department that is entered on |
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or after the effective date of this Act. The acceptance by the |
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Texas Department of Criminal Justice of an inmate who is confined in |
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a county jail and is under an order of commitment to the department |
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that is entered before the effective date of this Act is governed by |
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the law in effect on the date the order of commitment was entered, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |