TITLE: Relating to juvenile case managers.

SUMMARY: Relating to juvenile case managers.

FULL TEXT:
AN ACT relating to juvenile case managers. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: SECTION 1. Article 45.056, Code of Criminal Procedure, is amended by amending Subsections (c), (d), and (e) and adding Subsections (f), (g), and (h) to read as follows: (c) A county or justice court on approval of the commissioners court or a municipality or municipal court on approval of the city council may employ one or more [full-time] juvenile case managers to assist the court in administering the court's juvenile docket and in supervising its court orders in juvenile cases. (d) Pursuant to Article 102.0174, the court may pay the salary and benefits of a [the] juvenile case manager from the juvenile case manager fund. (e) A juvenile case manager employed under Subsection (c) shall give priority to [work primarily on] cases brought under Sections 25.093 and 25.094, Education Code. (f) The juvenile case manager shall timely report to the judge who signed the order or judgment and, on request, to the judge assigned to the case or the presiding judge any information or recommendations relevant to assisting the judge in making decisions that are in the best interest of the child. (g) The judge who is assigned to the case shall consult with the juvenile case manager who is supervising the case regarding: (1) the child's home environment; (2) the child's developmental, psychological, and educational status; (3) the child's previous interaction with the justice system; and (4) any sanctions available to the court that would be in the best interest of the child. (h) Subsections (f) and (g) do not apply to: (1) a part-time judge; or (2) a county judge of a county court that has one or more appointed full-time magistrates under Section 54.1172, Government Code. SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act to Article 45.056, Code of Criminal Procedure, apply to a juvenile case manager employed on or after the effective date of this Act, regardless of whether the juvenile case manager began that employment before, on, or after the effective date of this Act. SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.