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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to grants awarded to reimburse counties for the cost of |
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monitoring defendants and victims in criminal cases involving |
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family violence. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 772, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Section 772.0077 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 772.0077. GRANT PROGRAM FOR MONITORING DEFENDANTS AND |
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VICTIMS IN FAMILY VIOLENCE CASES. (a) In this section: |
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(1) "Criminal justice division" means the criminal |
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justice division established under Section 772.006. |
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(2) "Family violence" has the meaning assigned by |
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Section 71.004, Family Code. |
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(b) The criminal justice division shall establish and |
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administer a grant program to reimburse counties for all or part of |
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the costs incurred by counties as a result of monitoring in cases |
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involving family violence defendants and victims who participate in |
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a global positioning monitoring system under Article 17.292 or |
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17.49, Code of Criminal Procedure. A grant recipient may use funds |
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from a grant awarded under the program only for monitoring |
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conducted for the purpose of restoring a measure of security and |
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safety for a victim of family violence. |
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(c) The criminal justice division shall establish: |
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(1) additional eligibility criteria for grant |
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applicants; |
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(2) grant application procedures; |
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(3) guidelines relating to grant amounts; |
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(4) procedures for evaluating grant applications; and |
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(5) procedures for monitoring the use of a grant |
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awarded under the program and ensuring compliance with any |
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conditions of a grant. |
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(d) The criminal justice division shall include in the |
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biennial report required by Section 772.006(a)(9) a detailed |
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reporting of the results and performance of the grant program |
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administered under this section. |
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(e) The criminal justice division may use any revenue |
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available for purposes of this section. |
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SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |