BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 3690
85R24243 SMT-F	By: Metcalf (Birdwell)
	Criminal Justice
	5/18/2017
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

Interested parties contend that statutory provisions relating to the Texas Crime Stoppers Council (council) are in need of an update to reflect modern realities facing the council. H.B. 3690 seeks to enhance the efficiency of the council by, among other provisions, changing the method of selecting the director of the council and revising reporting system requirements to account for modern practices and technologies.

H.B. 3690 amends the Government Code to replace the requirement for the council and the executive director of the criminal justice division of the governor's office to designate a person to serve as director of the council with a requirement for the executive director to make such a designation with input from the council. The bill removes the requirement that the council's director be approved by the governor and replaces the requirement for the council to define the director's authority and responsibilities with a requirement that the executive director of the criminal justice division consult with the council to define that authority and those responsibilities.

H.B. 3690 requires the council to establish other appropriate systems in addition to the council's telephone service for purposes of reporting information about criminal acts to the council and to make the telephone service and other reporting systems accessible at all times to a person residing in areas of Texas not served by a crime stoppers organization. The bill removes the requirement that the council operate the telephone service as a toll-free service and specifies that the service is a statewide telephone service.

H.B. 3690 amends current law relating to the Texas Crime Stoppers Council.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

Rulemaking authority is expressly granted to the criminal justice division of the governor's office in SECTION 3 of this bill.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 414.004, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 414.004. DIRECTOR. Requires the executive director of the criminal justice division on the governor's office (executive director; division), with input from the Texas Crime Stoppers Council (council), rather than requires the council and the executive director, to designate a person to serve as director. Requires the executive director, rather than council, to consult with the council to define the director's authority and responsibilities. Deletes existing text requiring that the director be approved by the governor.

SECTION 2. Amends Section 414.012, Government Code, as follows:

Sec. 414.012. New heading: STATEWIDE CRIME REPORTING SYSTEMS. Requires the council to establish a statewide telephone service and other appropriate systems to allow information about criminal acts to be reported to the council and to make the telephone service and other reporting systems accessible at all time to persons residing in areas of the state not served by a crime stoppers organization. Deletes existing text requiring the council to establish and operate a toll-free telephone service and make it accessible to certain persons for reporting to the council information about criminal acts. Deletes existing text requiring that the toll-free service be available during certain periods.

SECTION 3. Amends Article 102.013(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, to authorize the division to use 10 percent of the funds for the operation of the statewide telephone service or other appropriate systems for the reporting of crime, rather than for the operation of the toll-free telephone service, under Section 414.012, Government Code.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2017.