86R11022 JRR-D
 
  By: Allen H.B. No. 3296
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the award of diligent participation credit to
  defendants serving a sentence for a state jail felony offense.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article 42A.559, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by amending Subsections (b), (f), (g), and (h) and adding
  Subsection (e-1) to read as follows:
         (b)  A defendant serving a sentence for [confined in] a state
  jail felony offense [facility] does not earn good conduct time for
  time served for the offense [in the facility] but may be awarded
  diligent participation credit in accordance with Subsection (f) or
  (g).
         (e-1)  This subsection applies only to a defendant serving a
  sentence for a state jail felony offense who is confined in a county
  jail before being transferred to a state jail felony facility. For
  purposes of awarding diligent participation credit under
  Subsection (f) or (g), the sheriff of each county shall:
               (1)  record the number of days each defendant described
  by this subsection diligently participated in an educational,
  vocational, treatment, or work program while confined in the county
  jail; and
               (2)  attach a certification of the number of days
  recorded under Subdivision (1) when transferring the defendant to a
  state jail felony facility.
         (f)  For a defendant with a judgment that contains a finding
  under Article 42.0199 that the defendant is presumptively entitled
  to diligent participation credit and who has not been the subject of
  disciplinary action while confined for [in] the state jail felony
  offense [facility], the department shall credit against any time
  the defendant is required to serve for the [in a] state jail felony
  offense [facility] additional time for each day the defendant
  actually served [in the facility] while diligently participating in
  an educational, vocational, treatment, or work program.
         (g)  For a defendant with a judgment that contains a finding
  under Article 42.0199 that the defendant is not presumptively
  entitled to diligent participation credit or who has been the
  subject of disciplinary action while confined for [in] the state
  jail felony offense [facility], the department shall, not later
  than the 30th day before the date on which the defendant will have
  served 80 percent of the defendant's sentence, report to the
  sentencing court the record of the number of days under Subsections
  [Subsection] (e) and (e-1), as applicable. The contents of a report
  submitted under this subsection are not subject to challenge by a
  defendant. A judge, based on the report, may credit against any time
  a defendant is required to serve for the [in a] state jail felony
  offense [facility] additional time for each day the defendant
  actually served [in the facility] while diligently participating in
  an educational, vocational, treatment, or work program.
         (h)  A time credit under Subsection (f) or (g) may not exceed
  one-fifth of the amount of time the defendant is originally
  required to serve for the state jail felony offense [in the
  facility].  A defendant may not be awarded a time credit under
  Subsection (f) or (g) for any period during which the defendant is
  subject to disciplinary status.  A time credit under Subsection (f)
  or (g) is a privilege and not a right.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to a person serving a sentence for a state jail felony offense
  committed on or after the effective date of this Act. A person
  serving a sentence for a state jail felony offense committed before
  the effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect when
  the offense was committed, and the former law is continued in effect
  for that purpose. For purposes of this section, an offense was
  committed before the effective date of this Act if any element of
  the offense occurred before that date.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.