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HB 3123

AN ACT relating to the powers and duties of a personal bond or personal

House Bill
Filed

Filed

Bill introduced by legislator

Committee

Hearing

Passed Cmte

Calendar

Passed

Sent

Enrolled

Governor

Signed

89th Regular Session

Jan 14, 2025 - Jun 2, 2025 • Session ended

Awaiting Committee Assignment

Bill filed, pending referral to House committee

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What This Bill Does

Modifies the operations of personal bond and pretrial supervision offices in Texas counties, expanding their responsibilities beyond traditional bond assessment. These offices can now provide additional services including indigent legal services monitoring, pretrial rehabilitative services, mental health service coordination, and substance abuse testing while maintaining strict confidentiality of criminal history records. The bill allows county commissioners and district judges to direct these offices to offer more comprehensive pretrial support, with a focus on helping defendants navigate legal and rehabilitation services before trial.

Subject Areas

Bill Text

relating to the powers and duties of a personal bond or personal
bond and pretrial supervision office.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1.  The heading to Article 17.42, Code of Criminal
Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
Art. 17.42.  PERSONAL BOND OR PERSONAL BOND AND PRETRIAL
SECTION 2.  Section 1, Article 17.42, Code of Criminal
Procedure, is amended to read as follows:
Sec. 1.  Any county, or any judicial district with
jurisdiction in more than one county, with the approval of the
commissioners court of each county in the district, may establish a
personal bond or personal bond and pretrial supervision office to
gather and review information about an accused that may have a
bearing on whether the accused [he] will comply with the conditions
of a personal bond and report its findings to the court before which
SECTION 3.  Sections 4(a) and (b), Article 17.42, Code of
Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
(a)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection, if a
court releases an accused on personal bond on the recommendation of
a personal bond or personal bond and pretrial supervision office,
the court shall assess a personal bond reimbursement fee of $20 or
three percent of the amount of the bail fixed for the accused,
whichever is greater.  The court may waive the fee or assess a
lesser fee if good cause is shown.  A court that requires a
defendant to give a personal bond under Article 45A.107 may not
assess a personal bond reimbursement fee under this subsection.
(b)  Reimbursement fees collected under this article may be
used solely to defray expenses of the personal bond or personal bond
and pretrial supervision office, including defraying the expenses
SECTION 4.  Sections 5(a) and (c), Article 17.42, Code of
Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
(a)  A personal bond or personal bond and pretrial
supervision [pretrial release] office established under this
(1)  prepare a record containing information about any
accused person identified by case number only who, after review by
the office, is released by a court on personal bond before
(2)  update the record on a monthly basis; and
(3)  file a copy of the record with the district or
county clerk, as applicable based on court jurisdiction over the
categories of offenses addressed in the records, in any county
(c)  This section does not apply to a personal bond or
personal bond and pretrial supervision [pretrial release] office
that on January 1, 1995, was operated by a community corrections and
SECTION 5.  Sections 6(a) and (c), Article 17.42, Code of
Criminal Procedure, are amended to read as follows:
(a)  Not later than April 1 of each year, a personal bond or
personal bond and pretrial supervision office established under
this article shall submit to the commissioners court or district
and county judges that established the office an annual report
containing information about the operations of the office during
(c)  This section does not apply to a personal bond or
personal bond and pretrial supervision [pretrial release] office
that on January 1, 1995, was operated by a community corrections and
SECTION 6.  Article 17.42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
amended by adding Sections 7 and 8 to read as follows:
Sec. 7.  (a)  The commissioners court of a county that
establishes a personal bond and pretrial supervision office or the
district and county judges of a judicial district that establishes
a personal bond and pretrial supervision office may direct the
office to provide the pretrial services a community supervision and
corrections department may provide under Section 76.011,
(b)  Except as otherwise provided by this subsection,
programs operated by the office under Subsection (a) may include
reasonable conditions and monitoring related to the purpose of the
programs, including testing for controlled substances and alcohol
use.  If this subsection conflicts with a more specific provision of
another law, the other law prevails.
(c)  This section does not apply to a personal bond and
pretrial supervision office that on January 1, 1995, was operated
by a community corrections and supervision department.
Sec. 8.  (a)  The commissioners court of a county that
establishes a personal bond and pretrial supervision office or the
district and county judges of a judicial district that establishes
a personal bond and pretrial supervision office may, as part of the
court's or the judges' duties related to pretrial services, direct
(1)  indigent legal services monitoring, including:
(A)  assisting defendants in filing applications
(B)  reviewing applications and documentation to
assist the court in determining eligibility for indigent legal
(C)  coordinating with appointed attorneys to
ensure sufficient legal services are provided;
(2)  pretrial rehabilitative services, including:
(A)  determining what rehabilitative services are
(B)  making recommendations to this state, to
defense counsel, and to the court on rehabilitative services; and
(C)  monitoring the placement of defendants in
(3)  coordination of mental health services,
(A)  recommending mental health testing;
(B)  assisting defense counsel in meeting mental
(C)  monitoring compliance with mental health
(D)  assisting magistrates with mental health
(4)  other services as are required to fulfill the
goals of pretrial bond supervision.
(b)  This section does not apply to a personal bond and
pretrial supervision office that on January 1, 1995, was operated
by a community corrections and supervision department.
SECTION 7.  Subchapter F, Chapter 411, Government Code, is
amended by adding Section 411.14105 to read as follows:
Sec. 411.14105.  ACCESS TO CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD
INFORMATION: PERSONAL BOND OR PERSONAL BOND AND PRETRIAL
SUPERVISION OFFICE.  (a)  In this section, "personal bond or
personal bond and pretrial supervision office" means an office
established under Article 17.42, Code of Criminal Procedure.
(b)  The director of a personal bond or personal bond and
pretrial supervision office, or an employee of the office
authorized by the director, is entitled to obtain from the
department criminal history record information maintained by the
department that relates to a person who is being considered for
personal bond or is receiving services from the office.
(c)  A person who obtains criminal history record
information under Subsection (b) may not release the information to
any person except to a judge or magistrate making a bond
determination, if the criminal history is relevant to that
(d)  Notwithstanding Subsection (c), a person who obtains
criminal history record information under Subsection (b) may
disclose to the subject of the information, the attorney
representing the state, or the subject's defense attorney:
(1)  the date and place of any arrest in the subject's
criminal history and the offense for which the subject was
(2)  the associated dispositions.
(e)  The department may not charge a fee for providing
criminal history record information under this section.
SECTION 8.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Bill History

filed

Bill filed: AN ACT relating to the powers and duties of a personal bond or personal