H.B. No. 409
 
 
 
 
AN ACT
  relating to the governance and administration of the Texas Indigent
  Defense Commission and to certain disclosures made in relation to
  the provision of funding for indigent defense services.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Sections 79.014(a) and (b), Government Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  The governor shall appoint with the advice and consent
  of the senate seven [five] members of the board as follows:
               (1)  one member who is a district judge serving as a
  presiding judge of an administrative judicial region;
               (2)  one member who is a judge of a constitutional
  county court or who is a county commissioner;
               (3)  one member who is a practicing criminal defense
  attorney;
               (4)  one member who is a chief public defender in this
  state [or the chief public defender's designee, who must be an
  attorney employed by the public defender's office]; [and]
               (5)  one member who is a judge of a constitutional
  county court or who is a county commissioner of a county with a
  population of 250,000 or more;
               (6)  one member who is either:
                     (A)  a director of a managed assigned counsel
  program in this state; or
                     (B)  a person who has a demonstrated expertise in
  indigent defense issues; and
               (7)  one member who is a justice of the peace, municipal
  court judge, or appointed magistrate under Article 2.09, Code of
  Criminal Procedure, whose regular duties include presiding over
  hearings under Article 15.17, Code of Criminal Procedure.
         (b)  The board members serve staggered terms of two years,
  with three [two] members' terms expiring February 1 of each
  odd-numbered year and four [three] members' terms expiring February
  1 of each even-numbered year.
         SECTION 2.  Sections 79.016(a) and (c), Government Code, are
  amended to read as follows:
         (a)  A board member who is a chief public defender or a
  director of a managed assigned counsel program for [or an attorney
  employed by] an entity that applies for funds under Section 79.037
  shall disclose that fact before a vote by the board regarding an
  award of funds to that entity and may not participate in that vote.
         (c)  The commission may not award funds under Section 79.037
  to an entity served by a chief public defender or a director of a
  managed assigned counsel program [other attorney] who fails to make
  a disclosure to the board as required by Subsection (a).
         SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.
 
 
  ______________________________ ______________________________
     President of the Senate Speaker of the House     
 
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 409 was passed by the House on April
  27, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 141, Nays 5, 1 present, not
  voting; and that the House concurred in Senate amendments to H.B.
  No. 409 on May 25, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 125, Nays 11,
  2 present, not voting.
 
  ______________________________
  Chief Clerk of the House   
 
         I certify that H.B. No. 409 was passed by the Senate, with
  amendments, on May 19, 2023, by the following vote:  Yeas 31, Nays
  0.
 
  ______________________________
  Secretary of the Senate   
  APPROVED: __________________
                  Date       
   
           __________________
                Governor