Bill Text: TX HB2445 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to veterans placed on community supervision or confined in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-13 - Referred to Criminal Justice [HB2445 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB2445-Introduced.html
| 87R4987 BDP-D | ||
| By: White | H.B. No. 2445 | |
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| relating to veterans placed on community supervision or confined in | ||
| the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. | ||
| BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
| SECTION 1. Section 501.024(b), Government Code, is amended | ||
| to read as follows: | ||
| (b) The department shall: | ||
| (1) in consultation with the Texas Veterans | ||
| Commission, investigate and verify the veteran status of each | ||
| inmate by using the best available federal data; and | ||
| (2) use the data described by Subdivision (1) to | ||
| assist inmates who are veterans in applying for: | ||
| (A) federal benefits or compensation for which | ||
| the inmates may be eligible under a program administered by the | ||
| United States Department of Veterans Affairs; and | ||
| (B) state benefits or compensation for which the | ||
| inmates may be eligible under any state law or program. | ||
| SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 501, Government Code, is | ||
| amended by adding Section 501.1021 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 501.1021. REENTRY AND REINTEGRATION SERVICES FOR | ||
| VETERANS. (a) The department shall develop a comprehensive plan to | ||
| ensure the successful reentry and reintegration into the community | ||
| following discharge from the department of offenders whose veteran | ||
| status has been verified by the department under Section | ||
| 501.024(b)(1). The reentry and reintegration plan developed under | ||
| this section must utilize all benefits that the offender is | ||
| eligible for as determined by the department under Section | ||
| 501.024(b)(2) to provide for the following, as applicable, after | ||
| the offender's discharge: | ||
| (1) housing; | ||
| (2) employment; | ||
| (3) education; | ||
| (4) financial support for the offender's family; and | ||
| (5) medical or mental health care. | ||
| (b) The department may contract with private vendors or | ||
| other entities to implement the comprehensive reentry and | ||
| reintegration plan as required by this section. | ||
| SECTION 3. Chapter 509, Government Code, is amended by | ||
| adding Section 509.0042 to read as follows: | ||
| Sec. 509.0042. VETERANS BENEFITS PLAN. The division shall | ||
| require each department to develop and implement a comprehensive | ||
| plan to: | ||
| (1) determine if a defendant placed on community | ||
| supervision is a veteran; and | ||
| (2) assist the defendant in obtaining any federal or | ||
| state veterans benefits for which the defendant is eligible to | ||
| provide for the following, as applicable, during the defendant's | ||
| term of community supervision: | ||
| (A) housing; | ||
| (B) employment; | ||
| (C) education; | ||
| (D) financial support for the defendant's | ||
| family; and | ||
| (E) medical or mental health care. | ||
| SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2021. | ||
