By: A. Johnson of Harris (Senate Sponsor - Huffman) H.B. No. 4338
         (In the Senate - Received from the House May 17, 2021;
  May 17, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
  Justice; May 22, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote:  
  Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 22, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the representation of a community supervision and
  corrections department in cases in which a person under the
  supervision of that department challenges the fact or duration of
  the supervision.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 76.006, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (d-1) to read as
  follows:
         (d)  The attorney general has the duty to defend a department
  for suits for injunctive, declaratory, or monetary relief brought
  against it for any action not covered by an indemnification policy,
  except any action brought by the state or another political
  subdivision.
         (d-1)  If a person under the supervision of a department
  challenges the fact or duration of the supervision, the attorney
  general or the district or county attorney with jurisdiction over
  the offense for which the person is under supervision shall defend
  the department or its employees. The attorney general must defend
  the department or its employees in a case described by this
  subsection if the district or county attorney is unable to defend
  the department or its employees, as applicable. At the request of a
  district or county attorney, the [The] attorney general may provide
  assistance to the district or county attorney in defending [shall
  not defend] a department or its employees in cases described by this
  subsection [in which a person under supervision challenges the fact
  or duration of the supervision].
         SECTION 2.  Section 76.006(d-1), Government Code, as added
  by this Act, applies only to a case described by that subsection
  that is initiated on or after the effective date of this Act. A case
  that is initiated before the effective date of this Act is governed
  by the law in effect on the date the case was initiated, and the
  former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
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