Sec. 4007.001. ENFORCEMENT BY COMMISSIONER, ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND DISTRICT OR COUNTY ATTORNEY. (a) The administration of the provisions of this title is vested in the commissioner.
(b) The commissioner and the attorney general shall:
(1) ensure that the provisions of this title are obeyed; and
(2) conduct investigations and take measures to prevent or detect a violation of this title.
(c) The commissioner shall at once submit any evidence of a criminal violation of this title to the district or county attorney of the appropriate county after the evidence comes to the commissioner's knowledge.
(d) If the district or county attorney neglects or refuses to prosecute the alleged criminal violation, the commissioner shall submit the evidence of the alleged violation to the attorney general. The attorney general may proceed with the criminal prosecution of the alleged violation and has all the rights, privileges, and powers conferred by law on a district or county attorney, including the authority to appear before a grand jury and to interrogate witnesses before a grand jury.
(e) Subject to Subsection (h), the board may provide assistance to a county or district attorney who requests assistance in a criminal prosecution involving an alleged violation of this title that is referred by the board to the attorney under Subsection (c).
(f) Before referring a case to a county or district attorney for prosecution as required by Subsection (c), the commissioner shall make a determination of:
(1) the potential resources of the board, including the number and types of board employees, that would be needed to assist in the prosecution of the case; and
(2) the availability of board employees and other resources necessary to carry out any request for assistance.
(g) The board by rule shall establish a process to enable the commissioner to determine whether to provide any requested assistance to the appropriate prosecuting attorney following referral of a case under Subsection (c) and, if so, the appropriate amount of such assistance. The rules must require the commissioner to consider:
(1) whether resources are available after taking into account any ongoing board investigations, investigations under Section 4007.053, and criminal prosecutions for which assistance is being provided;
(2) the seriousness of the alleged violation or violations in the case, including the severity of the harm and number of victims involved; and
(3) the state's interest in the prosecution of a particular case and the availability of other methods of redress for the alleged violations, including the pursuit of a civil action.
(h) In response to a request for assistance under Subsection (e), the board may provide only those board employees or resources, if any, determined to be available for that case in accordance with Subsection (f). If a change in circumstances occurs after the time of the determination under Subsection (f), the commissioner may reconsider the commissioner's determination under that subsection and may increase or reduce the number of board employees or other resources to be made available for a case using the process established under Subsection (g).
(i) The attorney general, at least biennially, shall review a sample of criminal cases for which the board provided requested assistance to county or district attorneys under this section. The review must include an evaluation of the pre-referral determination of available resources to support each case being reviewed as required by Subsection (f) and any subsequent determination of those resources made by the commissioner as authorized under Subsection (h). The attorney general may report any concerns the attorney general has in connection with the board's provision of assistance to the standing committee of each house of the legislature with primary jurisdiction over board matters.
Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 491 (H.B. 4171), Sec. 1.01, eff. January 1, 2022.
Amended by:
Acts 2021, 87th Leg., R.S., Ch. 915 (H.B. 3607), Sec. 9.108, eff. January 1, 2022.