HBA-NIK S.B. 1576 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1576 By: West Corrections 4/26/1999 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, local law enforcement agencies report an increase in prison gang related violence in many of Texas' major cities. One means of addressing that increase is through better collaboration between the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (institutional division), parole division, and local and state law enforcement to more effectively monitor the activities of members of prison gangs or security threat groups once released into society. S.B. 1576 requires the institutional division to notify a sheriff or chief of police of the date of release of an inmate classified as a member of a security threat group. 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 C, Chapter 499, Government Code, by adding Section 499.051, as follows: Sec. 499.051. NOTIFICATION OF RELEASE OF GANG MEMBER. (a) Requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (department) to notify, on the release of an inmate determined by the department to be a member of a security threat group, the sheriff of the county to which the inmate is released and, if the inmate is released to a municipality, the chief of police for the municipality. Provides that the notice must state the date on which the inmate was released and state that the inmate has been determined by the department to be a member of a security threat group. (b) Requires the department to include the information described by Subsection (a) with the notice provided under Section 508.115 (Notification of Release of Inmate), if the department is required by Section 508.115 to notify a sheriff before the release of an inmate. SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective, beginning September 15, 1999. SECTION 3. Emergency clause. Effective date: upon passage.