88R2677 AJZ-D
 
  By: Raymond H.B. No. 4883
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to reimbursing a commissioners court and certain
  individuals for the reasonable costs of transporting a body for the
  purpose of an autopsy.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article 49.10, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Subsections (h-1) and (h-2) to read as follows:
         (h-1)  A commissioners court that pays a fee to transport a
  body to or from a place where an autopsy can be performed under this
  article may seek reimbursement for the reasonable costs of the
  transportation as provided by this subsection. On application to
  the attorney representing the state or the head of a law enforcement
  agency, a commissioners court may be reimbursed from civil asset
  forfeiture proceeds as provided by Article 59.06(v), regardless of
  the circumstances of the death.
         (h-2)  On application to the attorney general and in
  accordance with Chapter 56B, an individual who pays a fee to
  transport a body from a place where an autopsy can be performed
  under this article, including a family member of the deceased
  victim, may be reimbursed from the compensation to victims of crime
  fund for the reasonable costs of the transportation if the
  physician performing the autopsy determines the death was caused by
  unlawful means.
         SECTION 2.  Article 56B.003(10), Code of Criminal Procedure,
  is amended to read as follows:
               (10)  "Pecuniary loss" means the amount of the expense
  reasonably and necessarily incurred as a result of personal injury
  or death for:
                     (A)  medical, hospital, nursing, or psychiatric
  care or counseling, or physical therapy;
                     (B)  actual loss of past earnings and anticipated
  loss of future earnings and necessary travel expenses because of:
                           (i)  a disability resulting from the
  personal injury;
                           (ii)  the receipt of medically indicated
  services related to the disability; or
                           (iii)  participation in or attendance at
  investigative, prosecutorial, or judicial processes or any
  postconviction or postadjudication proceeding relating to
  criminally injurious conduct;
                     (C)  care of a child or dependent, including
  specialized care for a child who is a victim;
                     (D)  funeral and burial expenses, including:
                           (i)  [,] for an immediate family member or a
  household member of a deceased [the] victim, the necessary expenses
  of traveling to and attending the funeral; and
                           (ii)  the reasonable costs of transportation
  of the body from a place where an autopsy can be performed if the
  physician performing the autopsy determines the death was caused by
  unlawful means;
                     (E)  loss of support to a dependent, consistent
  with Article 56B.057(b)(5);
                     (F)  reasonable and necessary costs of cleaning
  the crime scene;
                     (G)  reasonable replacement costs for clothing,
  bedding, or property of the victim seized as evidence or rendered
  unusable as a result of the criminal investigation;
                     (H)  reasonable and necessary costs for
  relocation and housing rental assistance payments as provided by
  Article 56B.106(c);
                     (I)  for an immediate family member or a household
  member of a deceased victim, bereavement leave of not more than 10
  work days; and
                     (J)  reasonable and necessary costs of traveling
  to and from a place of execution to witness the execution, including
  one night's lodging near the place where the execution is
  conducted.
         SECTION 3.  Article 59.06, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Subsection (v) to read as follows:
         (v)  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, 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) to reimburse a commissioners court for the
  reasonable costs of transporting a body for the purpose of an
  autopsy.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.