83R910 ADM-D
 
  By: Ellis S.B. No. 89
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of a commission to investigate and prevent
  wrongful convictions.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 43, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Article 43.27 to read as follows:
         Art. 43.27.  TEXAS INNOCENCE COMMISSION
         Sec. 1.  CREATION.  The Texas Innocence Commission is
  created.
         Sec. 2.  COMPOSITION.  (a)  The commission is composed of
  nine members.  The governor shall appoint two members, one of whom
  must be a dean of a law school and one of whom must be a law
  enforcement officer. The lieutenant governor shall appoint one
  member, who may be a member of the legislature. The speaker of the
  house of representatives shall appoint one member, who may be a
  member of the legislature. The presiding judge of the court of
  criminal appeals shall appoint one member, who must be a member of
  the judiciary. The presiding officer of the Texas Forensic Science
  Commission shall appoint one member, who must work in the forensic
  science field.  The Texas District and County Attorneys Association
  shall appoint one member, who must be a prosecuting attorney.  The
  Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association shall appoint one
  member, who must be a criminal defense lawyer.  The president of the
  Texas Center for Actual Innocence at The University of Texas School
  of Law, the director of the Texas Innocence Network at the
  University of Houston Law Center, or the executive director of the
  Innocence Project of Texas at the Texas Tech University School of
  Law, on a rotating basis, shall appoint one member, who must be an
  attorney with experience in filing successful appellate claims
  based on actual innocence.
         (b)  Each member serves a two-year term.
         (c)  The governor shall designate a member to serve as
  presiding officer.
         Sec. 3.  DUTIES.  (a)  The commission shall investigate
  thoroughly all postconviction exonerations, including convictions
  vacated based on a plea to time served, to:
               (1)  ascertain errors and defects in the criminal
  procedure used to prosecute the defendant's case at issue;
               (2)  identify errors and defects in the criminal
  justice process in this state generally;
               (3)  develop solutions and methods to correct the
  identified errors and defects; and
               (4)  identify procedures and programs to prevent future
  wrongful convictions.
         (b)  The commission may enter into contracts for research
  services as considered necessary to complete the investigation of a
  particular case, including forensic testing and autopsies.
         Sec. 4.  REPORT.  (a)  The commission shall compile a
  detailed annual report of its findings and recommendations,
  including any proposed legislation to implement procedures and
  programs to prevent future wrongful convictions or executions.
         (b)  The report shall be made available to the public on
  request.
         (c)  The findings and recommendations contained in the
  report may not be used as binding evidence in a subsequent civil or
  criminal proceeding.
         Sec. 5.  SUBMISSION. The commission shall submit the report
  described by Section 4 to the governor, the lieutenant governor,
  and the speaker of the house of representatives not later than
  December 1 of each even-numbered year.
         Sec. 6.  REIMBURSEMENT.  A member of the commission is not
  entitled to compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the
  member's travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660, Government
  Code, and the General Appropriations Act.
         Sec. 7.  ASSISTANCE.  The Texas Legislative Council, the
  Legislative Budget Board, and The University of Texas at Austin
  shall assist the commission in performing the commission's duties.
         Sec. 8.  OTHER LAW.  The commission is not subject to Chapter
  2110, Government Code.
         SECTION 2.  (a)  The purpose of this section is to establish
  the rotating basis for appointments by law schools as required by
  Section 2, Article 43.27, Code of Criminal Procedure, as added by
  this Act.
         (b)  The president of the Texas Center for Actual Innocence
  at The University of Texas School of Law shall make the first
  appointment under Section 2, Article 43.27, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, as added by this Act. After the expiration of the
  appointee's two-year term, the director of the Texas Innocence
  Network at the University of Houston Law Center shall make the
  second appointment under Section 2, Article 43.27, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, as added by this Act.  After the expiration of the second
  appointment, the executive director of the Innocence Project of
  Texas at the Texas Tech University School of Law shall make the
  third appointment.
         SECTION 3.  The appointments to the Texas Innocence
  Commission as required by Article 43.27, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, as added by this Act, shall be made not later than
  October 31, 2013.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2013.