The Texas House kicked off its organizational hearings this week, with committees holding meetings to lay the groundwork for upcoming substantive meetings on legislation. Committee chairs gaveled in, took care of housekeeping items, laid out committee rules and invited witnesses to testify to give background on issues that will likely come before the committees this session.
The House also released its permanent committee schedule, effective Feb. 23. The full schedule may be found here. Each committee will meet at the same time each week, with adjustments being made to accommodate the floor schedule.
Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
The House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence held a robust organizational hearing on Monday, March 1, with seven panels of testimony. Witnesses included Sabine County Sheriff Tom Maddox, representing the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas and Shannon Edmonds, representing the Texas District and County Attorneys Association (TDCAA). Other witnesses included David Slayton of the Office of Court Administration (OCA), Bryan Collier of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and Wesley Shackelford of the Texas Indigent Defense Commission.
Chair Nicole Collier (D-Fort Worth) asked Maddox about challenges sheriffs have faced over the past year, acknowledging the wide breadth of responsibilities that the office encompasses. Maddox responded by discussing the challenges faced in maintaining county jails during the pandemic. He emphasized that keeping a full staff at all times has proved a significant challenge with COVID-19, but announced that there had been zero COVID cases in his jail (although many other jails have had numerous inmates test positive).
Edmonds, Director of Governmental Relations for TDCAA, emphasized to committee members that while they are deliberating on legislation, it is important to remember that Texas does not have one criminal justice system; it often has 254 distinct criminal justice systems. He informed the committee members of three top issues for district and county attorneys this session: 1) protecting prosecutorial authority and discretion; 2) improving the bail and pretrial release system in Texas; and 3) closely monitoring changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which impact prosecutors’ ability to do their jobs. He responded to several questions from members about how the pandemic has affected the criminal justice system and the difficulties of continuing with criminal jury trials in the midst of COVID-19.
House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence
On Wednesday, March 3, the House Committee on Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence held its organizational hearing. The committee heard testimony from Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, Slayton with OCA, the Honorable Sharon Keller for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and two district judges to discuss how the courts have been impacted by COVID-19 and the winter storm.
Hecht explained the hardships and backlogs facing all levels of courts, but that Texas is doing better than most of the state courts nationally. Additionally, he mentioned the creation of the Justices of the Peace and stakeholder working group, which analyzes and recommends policy to enhance the justice courts.
Collin County District Judge Emily Miskel explained how courts handle virtual court proceedings, including virtual jury trials. Mason County District Judge Rob Hofmann provided an update on the impact of an arsonist destroying the historic Mason County courthouse. Their testimonies proved that regardless of pandemics and tragedies, the courts will continue to serve Texans quickly because “justice delayed is justice denied.”
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