Bill > HB3166

This bill establishes a new legal framework for judicial commutation of sentences in Texas, allowing the attorney representing the state to file a motion in a district court to potentially reduce an inmate's sentence. The bill creates a process where courts can consider factors such as the inmate's disciplinary record, rehabilitation, age, time served, physical condition, and changes in circumstances that might suggest continued imprisonment is no longer in the interest of justice. Importantly, the court may reduce a sentence to less than the original statutory minimum, including reducing it to time served and ordering immediate release, but cannot increase the sentence. The bill also expands victims' rights by requiring that victims be informed about any commutation motions and allowing victims to express their opposition to such motions to the prosecuting attorney, who must then relay those objections to the court. The bill explicitly does not apply to certain serious offenses and will only take effect if a related constitutional amendment is approved by voters in 2025. The commutation process can only be initiated by the state's attorney, and neither the attorney nor the inmate can appeal a denial of a commutation motion.

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https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=89R&Bill=HB3166