H.B. No. 48
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the creation of a commission to review convictions
  after exoneration and to prevent wrongful convictions.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Chapter 43, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Article 43.27 to read as follows:
         Art. 43.27.  TIMOTHY COLE EXONERATION REVIEW COMMISSION
         Sec. 1.  CREATION. The Timothy Cole Exoneration Review
  Commission is created.
         Sec. 2.  COMPOSITION. (a)  The commission is composed of the
  following 11 members:
               (1)  a member appointed by the governor;
               (2)  the chair of the Senate Committee on Criminal
  Justice;
               (3)  the chair of the Senate Committee on State
  Affairs;
               (4)  the chair of the House Committee on Criminal
  Jurisprudence;
               (5)  the chair of the House Committee on Judiciary and
  Civil Jurisprudence;
               (6)  a member appointed by the chair of the Texas
  Judicial Council;
               (7)  the presiding officer of the Texas Commission on
  Law Enforcement, or a member or employee of the Texas Commission on
  Law Enforcement appointed by the presiding officer;
               (8)  the presiding officer of the Texas Indigent
  Defense Commission, or a member or employee of the Texas Indigent
  Defense Commission appointed by the presiding officer;
               (9)  the presiding officer of the Texas Forensic
  Science Commission, or a member or employee of the Texas Forensic
  Science Commission who has significant experience in the field of
  forensic science appointed by the presiding officer;
               (10)  the president of the Texas Criminal Defense
  Lawyers Association, or the president's designee; and
               (11)  the chairman of the board of the Texas District
  and County Attorneys Association, or the chairman's designee.
         (b)  A person appointed under this section may not, while
  serving on the commission, be an active judge, as that term is
  defined by Section 74.041, Government Code.
         (c)  The following persons serve as advisory members to the
  commission:
               (1)  the director of the Texas Center for Actual
  Innocence at The University of Texas School of Law;
               (2)  the director of the Texas Innocence Network at the
  University of Houston Law Center;
               (3)  the executive director of the Innocence Project of
  Texas; and
               (4)  the executive director of the Innocence Project at
  Thurgood Marshall School of Law.
         Sec. 3.  TERMS; VACANCIES.  (a)  A member of the commission
  serves until the commission is dissolved.
         (b)  The presiding officer of the commission shall be elected
  by the members of the commission.
         (c)  A vacancy on the commission is filled in the same manner
  as the original appointment.
         (d)  The presiding officer may appoint committees from the
  membership of the commission as needed to organize the commission
  or to perform the duties of the commission.
         Sec. 4.  ADMINISTRATIVE ATTACHMENT. (a)  The commission
  exists under the Texas Judicial Council created under Chapter 71,
  Government Code.  The commission operates independently of the
  Texas Judicial Council.
         (b)  The commission is administratively attached to the
  Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System.
         (c)  Notwithstanding any other law, and subject to available
  funding, the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial
  System shall:
               (1)  provide administrative assistance and services to
  the commission;
               (2)  accept, deposit, and disburse money made available
  to the commission; and
               (3)  provide the commission with adequate computer
  equipment and support.
         Sec. 5.  MEETINGS. (a)  The commission may hold its hearing
  and meetings and other proceedings at a time and in a manner
  determined by the commission, but shall meet in Austin at least
  annually.  The commission shall hold its first meeting on or before
  October 31, 2015.
         (b)  The commission shall conduct one public hearing.  
  Advisory members may participate in the public hearing of the
  commission but do not count toward a quorum and are not entitled to
  vote on matters before the commission.
         (c)  Six members of the commission constitute a quorum.  The
  commission may act only on the concurrence of six or more members.  
  The commission may issue a report under Section 9 only on the
  concurrence of seven members.
         (d)  Subject to the availability of funds, a member of the
  commission is entitled only to reimbursement for the member's
  travel expenses as provided by Chapter 660, Government Code, and
  the General Appropriations Act.
         Sec. 6.  QUALIFICATIONS.  (a)  A member of the commission
  may not participate in or vote on any matter before the commission
  if the matter directly concerns an individual related to the member
  within the second degree by affinity or consanguinity.
         (b)  An individual may not be a member of the commission if
  the individual or individual's spouse is required to register as a
  lobbyist under Chapter 305, Government Code, because of the
  individual's activities for compensation on behalf of a profession
  or entity related to the operation of the commission.
         Sec. 7.  GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL.  (a)  It is a ground for
  removal from the commission that a member:
               (1)  if applicable, does not have at the time of
  appointment the qualifications required by this article;
               (2)  does not maintain during service on the commission
  the qualifications required by this article;
               (3)  violates a prohibition established by this
  article;
               (4)  is ineligible for membership under this article;
               (5)  cannot, because of illness or disability,
  discharge the member's duties for a substantial period; or
               (6)  is absent from more than half of the regularly
  scheduled meetings that the member is eligible to attend during a
  calendar year, unless the absence is excused by a majority vote of
  the commission.
         (b)  The validity of an action of the commission is not
  affected by the fact that it is taken when a ground for removal of a
  commission member exists.
         Sec. 8.  DUTIES.  (a)  The commission may review and examine
  all cases in this state in which an innocent defendant was convicted
  and then, on or after January 1, 2010, was exonerated to, as
  applicable:
               (1)  identify the causes of wrongful convictions and
  suggest ways to prevent future wrongful convictions and improve the
  reliability and fairness of the criminal justice system;
               (2)  ascertain errors and defects in the laws,
  evidence, and procedures applied or omitted in the defendant's
  case;
               (3)  consider suggestions to correct the identified
  errors and defects through legislation or procedural changes;
               (4)  identify procedures, programs, and educational or
  training opportunities designed to eliminate or minimize the
  identified causes of wrongful convictions;
               (5)  collect and evaluate data and information from an
  actual innocence exoneration reported to the commission by a
  state-funded innocence project, for inclusion in the commission's
  report under Section 9;
               (6)  identify any patterns in errors or defects in the
  criminal justice system in this state that impact the pretrial,
  trial, appellate, or habeas review process; or
               (7)  consider and suggest legislative, training, or
  procedural changes to correct the patterns, errors, and defects in
  the criminal justice system that are identified through the work of
  the commission.
         (b)  The commission shall consider potential implementation
  plans, costs, cost savings, and the impact on the criminal justice
  system for each potential solution identified through the work of
  the commission.
         (c)  The commission shall review and update the research,
  reports, and recommendations of the Timothy Cole advisory panel
  established in the 81st Regular Session and shall include in its
  report under Section 9 the degree to which the panel's
  recommendations were implemented.
         (d)  The commission may solicit input from innocence
  projects, bar associations, judicial entities, law enforcement
  agencies, prosecutor associations, public defender or criminal
  defense associations, public and private universities, and
  advocacy organizations.
         Sec. 9.  REPORT AND RECORDS.  (a)  The commission shall
  compile and issue a detailed report of its findings and
  recommendations, including any legislation or policy changes the
  commission recommends to implement procedures and programs to
  prevent the causes and occurrence of future wrongful convictions.  
  The report must also describe statutory, procedural, and
  evidentiary reforms that have already been implemented in this
  state to prevent the causes and occurrence of future wrongful
  convictions.
         (b)  The report may not include any recommendation regarding
  the use of the death penalty or related procedures.
         (c)  The official report issued by the commission must be
  made available to the public on request.
         (d)  Working papers and records, including all documentary
  or other information, collected, received, prepared, or maintained
  by the commission or members of the commission in performing under
  this article or other law the commission's duties to conduct an
  evaluation and prepare a report, are confidential and not subject
  to disclosure under Chapter 552, Government Code.
         (e)  The commission may request that an entity of state
  government or of a political subdivision provide information
  related to the commission's duties under Section 8. On the request
  of the commission, an entity may provide information to the
  commission unless otherwise prohibited from disclosing that
  information.
         (f)  Information held by an entity of state government or of
  a political subdivision that is confidential and that the
  commission receives in connection with the performance of the
  commission's functions under this article or other law remains
  confidential and is not subject to disclosure under Chapter 552,
  Government Code.
         (g)  In carrying out its duties, the commission may examine
  the public records of an entity of state government or a political
  subdivision that are provided under Subsection (e).
         Sec. 10.  ASSISTANCE OF STATE-SUPPORTED UNIVERSITIES.  The
  commission may request assistance from any state-supported
  university in performing the commission's duties.
         Sec. 11.  SUBMISSION. The commission shall submit the
  report described by Section 9 to the governor, the lieutenant
  governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the
  legislature, and the Texas Judicial Council not later than December
  1, 2016.
         Sec. 12.  EXPIRATION.  (a)  This article expires December 1,
  2016.
         (b)  The commission is dissolved on the earlier of:
               (1)  the date the commission submits its report; or
               (2)  December 1, 2016.
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2015.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 48 was passed by the House on May 1,
  2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 134, Nays 6, 2 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 48 on May 28, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 137, Nays 5, 2
  present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 48 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 26, 2015, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor