TITLE: Relating to access to telephone services for persons confined in county jails.

SUMMARY: Relating to access to telephone services for persons confined in county jails.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to access to telephone services for persons confined in county jails. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 351, Local Government Code, is amended by adding Section 351.0135 to read as follows: Sec. 351.0135. ACCESS TO TELEPHONE SERVICES FOR PERSONS CONFINED IN COUNTY JAIL. The sheriff of each county shall adopt a policy governing the use of telephone services by persons confined in the county jail. The policy: (1) must allow each person confined in the county jail pending trial to: (A) make domestic telephone calls to the person's attorney for a total duration of 20 minutes per month at no cost to the person or the person's attorney; and (B) make one 10-minute domestic telephone call per week to a person other than the person's attorney at no cost to the person or the person receiving the call; and (2) must allow each person confined in the county jail other than a person described by Subdivision (1) to make one 10-minute domestic telephone call per month at no cost to the person or the person receiving the call. SECTION 2. Not later than December 1, 2019, the sheriff of each county shall adopt the policy required by Section 351.0135, Local Government Code, as added by this Act. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.