HBA-NIK H.B. 1758 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1758 By: Allen Public Safety 3/24/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, there is no unit within the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) that deals specifically with monitoring the compliance of sex offenders with certain statutory requirements. As of February 1999, there are 16,404 sex offenders registered with the Texas Sex Offender registration and notification program. H.B.1758 creates a sex offender compliance unit in DPS. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that rulemaking authority is expressly delegated to the Department of Public Safety in SECTION 1 (Section 411.0098, Government Code) of this bill. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter A, Chapter 411, Government Code, by adding Section 411.0098, as follows: Sec. 411.0098. SEX OFFENDER COMPLIANCE UNIT. (a) Requires the public safety director to create a sex offender compliance unit to be operated by the Department of Public Safety (DPS). (b) Requires the sex offender compliance unit to investigate and arrest individuals determined to have committed a sexually violent offense, as defined by Article 62.01 (Definitions), Code of Criminal Procedure. (c) Authorizes the legislature to appropriate funds to DPS from the fugitive apprehension account for the purpose of paying the costs to the department of implementing this section. (d) Authorizes DPS to adopt rules as necessary to implement this section. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.