Sec. 772.006. GOVERNOR'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION. (a) The governor shall establish a criminal justice division in the governor's office to:

(1) advise and assist the governor in developing policies, plans, programs, and proposed legislation for improving the coordination, administration, and effectiveness of the criminal justice system;

(2) administer the criminal justice planning fund;

(3) prepare a state comprehensive criminal justice plan, to update the plan annually based on an analysis of the state's criminal justice problems and needs, and to encourage identical or substantially similar local and regional comprehensive criminal justice planning efforts;

(4) establish goals, priorities, and standards for programs and projects to improve the administration of justice and the efficiency of law enforcement, the judicial system, prosecution, criminal defense, and adult and juvenile corrections and rehabilitation;

(5) award grants to state agencies, units of local government, school districts, and private, nonprofit corporations from the criminal justice planning fund for programs and projects on consideration of the goals, priorities, and standards recommended by the Criminal Justice Policy Council;

(6) apply for, obtain, and allocate for the purposes of this section any federal or other funds which may be made available for programs and projects that address the goals, priorities, and standards established in local and regional comprehensive criminal justice planning efforts or assist those efforts;

(7) administer the funds provided by this section in such a manner as to ensure that grants received under this section do not supplant state or local funds;

(8) monitor and evaluate programs and projects funded under this section, cooperate with and render technical assistance to state agencies and local governments seeking to reduce crime or enhance the performance and operation of the criminal justice system, and collect from any state or local government entity information, data, statistics, or other material necessary to carry out the purposes of this section;

(9) submit a biennial report to the legislature reporting the division's activities during the preceding biennium including the comprehensive state criminal justice plans and other studies, evaluations, crime data analyses, reports, or proposed legislation that the governor determines appropriate or the legislature requests; and

(10) perform other duties as necessary to carry out the duties listed in this subsection and adopt rules and procedures as necessary.

(b) The governor shall appoint a director for the division to serve at the pleasure of the governor.

(c) The criminal justice division and any project funded by the division is subject to examination, inspection, and audit by the State Auditor's Office, the Legislative Budget Board, and the division of planning coordination to determine compliance with this section and the approved annual comprehensive criminal justice plans.

(d) The trafficking of persons investigation and prosecution account is created in the general revenue fund. The account is composed of legislative appropriations and other money required by law to be deposited in the account. Income from money in the account shall be credited to the account. Sections 403.095 and 404.071 do not apply to the account.

(e) The legislature may appropriate money from the trafficking of persons investigation and prosecution account created under Subsection (d) only to the criminal justice division for the purposes of this subsection. The division may use the appropriated money solely to distribute grants to qualified applicants, as determined by the division, that:

(1) have dedicated full-time or part-time personnel to identify, prevent, investigate, or prosecute offenses under Chapter 20A, Penal Code; or

(2) provide comprehensive services in this state to prevent the commission of offenses under Chapter 20A, Penal Code, or to address the needs of victims of those offenses, including public awareness activities, community outreach and training, victim identification services, legal services, and other services designed to assist victims.

(f) The total amount of grants that may be distributed under this section from the trafficking of persons investigation and prosecution account during each state fiscal year may not exceed $10 million.

Added by Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 38, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 998, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.

Amended by:

Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1002 (H.B. 4009), Sec. 3, eff. September 1, 2009.

Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 515 (H.B. 2014), Sec. 3.04, eff. September 1, 2011.