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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the investigation of the death of a person in county |
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jail or in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 501.055(b), Government Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(b) Subsection (a) does not apply if the inmate: |
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(1) dies of natural causes [while attended by a |
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physician or a registered nurse]; [or] |
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(2) is lawfully executed; or |
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(3) dies in a manner that does not indicate an offense |
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has been committed. |
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SECTION 2. Section 511.021(a), Government Code, is amended |
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to read as follows: |
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(a) On the death of a prisoner in a county jail, other than a |
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death from natural causes or occurring in a manner that does not |
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indicate an offense has been committed, the commission shall |
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appoint a law enforcement agency, other than the local law |
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enforcement agency that operates the county jail, to investigate |
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the death as soon as possible. Except as otherwise provided by |
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Subsection (b), the appointed law enforcement agency shall conduct |
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the investigation. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |