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Amend SB 23 on third reading in SECTION 1 of the bill, immediately following Section 12.31(b), Penal Code, by adding the following:
(c) Notwithstanding Subsection (a)(2) or any other law, an individual may not be sentenced to life without parole if the individual committed the capital felony offense when 17 years of age unless the legislature has established an innocence commission that has the duty to make a thorough review or investigation of all cases in which an innocent person was convicted and exonerated, including convictions vacated based on a plea to time served, to:
(1) identify the causes of wrongful convictions;
(2) ascertain errors and defects in the laws, rules, proof, and procedures applied in prosecuting the defendant's case at issue or implicated by each identified cause of wrongful convictions;
(3) identify errors and defects in the criminal justice process in this state generally, using peer-reviewed research, expert analysis, and demographic data;
(4) consider and develop solutions and methods to correct the identified errors and defects through legislation, rule, or procedural changes; and
(5) identify procedures, programs, and educational or training opportunities demonstrated to eliminate or minimize the causes of wrongful convictions and prevent the future occurrence of wrongful convictions and resulting executions.