By: Moody (Senate Sponsor - Rodríguez) H.B. No. 518
         (In the Senate - Received from the House April 22, 2015;
  May 4, 2015, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
  Justice; May 21, 2015, reported favorably by the following vote:  
  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 21, 2015, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to certain waivers by a defendant regarding a community
  supervision revocation hearing.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 21(b-2), Article 42.12, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
         (b-2)  If the defendant has not been released on bail as
  permitted under Subsection (b-1), on motion by the defendant the
  judge who ordered the arrest for the alleged violation of a
  condition of community supervision shall cause the defendant to be
  brought before the judge for a hearing on the alleged violation
  within 20 days of filing of the [said] motion, and after a hearing
  without a jury, may either continue, extend, modify, or revoke the
  community supervision.  A judge may revoke the community
  supervision of a defendant who is imprisoned in a penal institution
  without a hearing if the defendant, in writing before a court of
  record or a notary public in the jurisdiction where imprisoned,
  waives the defendant's [his] right to a hearing and to counsel,
  affirms that the defendant [he] has nothing to say as to why
  sentence should not be pronounced against the defendant [him], and
  requests the judge to revoke community supervision and to pronounce
  sentence.  In a felony case, the state may amend the motion to
  revoke community supervision any time up to seven days before the
  date of the revocation hearing, after which time the motion may not
  be amended except for good cause shown, and in no event may the
  state amend the motion after the commencement of taking evidence at
  the hearing.  The judge may continue the hearing for good cause
  shown by either the defendant or the state.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
 
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