By: Hernandez (Senate Sponsor - Alvarado) H.B. No. 402
         (In the Senate - Received from the House April 13, 2021;
  April 14, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Criminal Justice; May 6, 2021, reported favorably by the following
  vote:  Yeas 6, Nays 0; May 6, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the use of certain funds derived from criminal asset
  forfeiture to provide services to domestic victims of trafficking.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article 59.06, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Subsection (u) to read as follows:
         (u)  As a specific exception to Subsection (c) that the funds
  described by that subsection be used only for the official purposes
  of the attorney representing the state or for law enforcement
  purposes, to cover the costs of a contract with a municipal or
  county program to provide services to domestic victims of
  trafficking, the attorney representing the state or the head of a
  law enforcement agency, as applicable, may use any portion of the
  gross amount credited to the attorney's or agency's special fund
  under Subsection (c) from the forfeiture of contraband that:
               (1)  is used in the commission of, or used to facilitate
  or intended to be used to facilitate the commission of, an offense
  under Chapter 20A, Penal Code; or
               (2)  consists of proceeds gained from the commission
  of, or property acquired with proceeds gained from the commission
  of, an offense under Chapter 20A, Penal Code.
         SECTION 2.  The change in law made by this Act in amending
  Article 59.06, Code of Criminal Procedure, applies to the
  disposition or use, on or after the effective date of this Act, of
  proceeds or property received by a law enforcement agency or
  attorney representing the state under Chapter 59, Code of Criminal
  Procedure, regardless of whether the receipt of the proceeds or
  property occurred before, on, or after the effective date of this
  Act.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
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