HBA-NIK H.B. 1858 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1858 By: Capelo Corrections 3/8/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) State Jail Division conducts a Texas Crime Information Center/National Crime Information Center criminal history check on all new admissions to the prison system. Should there be an outstanding warrant, the department contacts the appropriate jurisdiction to ask whether it wishes to place a detainer on the inmate. If a warrant is issued after an inmate has entered the prison system, the entity placing the warrant can verify that the inmate is incarcerated in TDCJ and contact the department if it wants to place a detainer on the inmate. This bill requires TDCJ to check for warrants at the time of release to insure that outstanding warrants are addressed before releasing the inmate from custody. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter B, Chapter 507, Government Code, by adding Section 507.032, as follows: Sec. 507.032 IDENTIFICATION OF DEFENDANTS SUBJECT TO ARREST WARRANT. Requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (department) to conduct a criminal history record check to determine whether the defendant is the subject of an arrest warrant before a defendant is released from confinement in a state jail facility. Requires the department to allow sufficient time for compliance with any requirements related to notifying the proper authorities of the defendant's release and, if necessary, providing for extradition of the defendant. SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause.