bill moves probation budget approval from local judges to state

The text as introduced · 520 words

89R5082 BCH-D

By: Huffman
S.B. No. 663

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the approval of a community supervision and corrections

department's budget and strategic plan.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 76.002(a), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) The district judge or district judges trying criminal

cases in each judicial district and the statutory county court

judges trying criminal cases in the county or counties served by the

judicial district shall:

(1) establish a community supervision and corrections

department; and

(2) review [ approve ] the department's budget and

strategic plan following the division's approval of the budget and

plan .

SECTION 2. Section 76.0045(b), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(b) The responsibility of a judge described by Section

76.002 for budgetary decisions is limited to:

(1) appointment of a fiscal officer; and

(2) review [ approval ] of the department's budget

following the division's approval of the budget .

SECTION 3. Section 509.004(a), Government Code, is amended

to read as follows:

(a) The division shall require each department to:

(1) keep financial and statistical records determined

necessary by the division;

(2) submit the department's budget and [ a ] strategic

plan and all supporting information requested by the division;

(3) present data requested by the division as

necessary to determine the amount of state aid for which the

department is eligible;

(4) submit periodic financial audits and statistical

reports to the division; and

(5) submit to the Department of Public Safety the full

name, address, date of birth, social security number, and driver's

license number of each person restricted to the operation of a motor

vehicle equipped with a device that uses a deep-lung breath

analysis mechanism to make impractical the operation of the motor

vehicle if ethyl alcohol is detected in the breath of the restricted

operator.

SECTION 4. The heading to Section 509.007, Government Code,

is amended to read as follows:

Sec. 509.007. DEPARTMENT BUDGET AND STRATEGIC PLAN.

SECTION 5. Section 509.007, Government Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (a-1) to read as

follows:

(a) The division shall require as a condition to payment of

state aid to a department or county under Section 509.011 that :

(1) the department submit the department's budget for

the state fiscal biennium and a strategic plan to the division; and

(2) the department's budget and plan be approved by the

division [ be submitted for the department. The department shall

submit the plan required by this subsection. A department may not

submit a plan under this section unless the plan is first approved

by the judges described by Section 76.002 who established the

department ].

(a-1) A [ The ] department shall submit the department's

budget for the next state fiscal biennium and a revised strategic

plan to the division each even-numbered year not later than March 1.

The department's budget or strategic [ A ] plan may be amended at any

time with the approval of the division.

SECTION 6. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.