BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1553

By: White

County Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

It has been suggested that adding members to the Commission on Jail Standards who have experience in psychiatry and veterans services would help in addressing criminal justice system needs regarding mental health and veteran assistance. C.S.H.B. 1553 seeks to address these issues by revising the composition of the commission.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 1553 amends the Government Code to revise the composition of the Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) by decreasing from four to two the number of members who are representatives of the general public, by adding a member who has expertise in providing veterans with information on resources that are available to veterans in Texas, and by increasing from one to two the number of members who are practitioners of medicine licensed by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners. The bill requires one of the two practitioners to be board certified in psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology or the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry. The bill expressly does not affect the entitlement of a member serving on TCJS immediately before the bill's effective date to continue to serve for the remainder of the member's term. The bill requires the governor, as the terms of members expire, to appoint or reappoint members to TCJS who have the required qualifications as amended by the bill.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 1553 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute does not increase the membership of TCJS to account for the addition of members with the specified expertise. The substitute accounts for the addition instead by decreasing from four to two the number of members who are representatives of the general public.