By: Hinojosa  S.B. No. 280
         (In the Senate - Filed January 4, 2021; March 3, 2021, read
  first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
  April 21, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote:  Yeas 6,
  Nays 0; April 21, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the composition and duties of the capital and forensic
  writs committee.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 78.002, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (c) to read as
  follows:
         (b)  The committee shall provide oversight and strategic
  guidance to the office of capital and forensic writs, including: 
               (1)  recommending [recommend] to the court of criminal
  appeals as provided by Section 78.004 a director for the office of
  capital and forensic writs when a vacancy exists for the position of
  director;
               (2)  setting policy for the office of capital and
  forensic writs; and
               (3)  developing a budget proposal for the office of
  capital and forensic writs.
         (c)  The committee may not access privileged or confidential
  information.
         SECTION 2.  Section 78.003, Government Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (a) and (c) and adding Subsections (a-1),
  (a-2), and (a-3) to read as follows:
         (a)  The committee is composed of the following seven [five]
  members who are appointed as follows [by the president of the State
  Bar of Texas, with ratification by the executive committee of the
  State Bar of Texas]:
               (1)  three attorneys who are appointed by the executive
  director of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission [members of the
  State Bar of Texas and who are not employed as prosecutors or law
  enforcement officials, all of whom must have criminal defense
  experience with death penalty proceedings in this state]; [and]
               (2)  two attorneys who are appointed by the president
  of the State Bar of Texas, with ratification by the executive
  committee of the State Bar of Texas; and
               (3)  two attorneys, each of whom are appointed by a
  majority of the deans of the public law schools in this state [two
  state district judges, one of whom serves as presiding judge of an
  administrative judicial region].
         (a-1)  Each member of the committee must be a licensed
  attorney and must have significant experience in capital defense or
  indigent criminal defense policy or practice.  A member of the
  committee may not be a prosecutor, a law enforcement official, a
  judge of a court that presides over criminal offenses, or an
  employee of the office of capital and forensic writs.
         (a-2)  Members of the committee serve four-year terms and may
  be reappointed. 
         (a-3)  If a vacancy occurs, the appropriate appointing
  authority shall appoint a person to serve for the remainder of the
  unexpired term in the same manner as the original appointment.
         (c)  The committee shall meet [members serve at the pleasure
  of the president of the State Bar of Texas, and the committee meets]
  at the call of the presiding officer of the committee.
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
 
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