The Sunset Advisory Commission unanimously agreed Wednesday on the merger of The Texas Youth Commission and the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission into a single state agency.
The commission will take their recommendation to the Texas legislature on the merger into a new agency, which would be called the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. This would potentially save the state more than $28 million by eliminating some director-level positions, staff and, by closing three TYC institutions. The other components in the modification include a one-year phase-in period, prioritizing local probation over state commitment, establishing a oversight Board, creating a transition team, and making it permissive to transfer any state facility that is closed to another facility.
The San Antonio Express News reports that the three institutions recommended for closure are Victory Field in Vernon; West Texas in Pyote; and Unit II of the Ron Jackson Correctional Complex in Brownwood.
Officials from the City of Brownwood and Brown County moved quickly to contact state lawmakers in Austin to confirm the information in the report and to impact any future decision that the legislature will make when looking at the Sunset Commission’s recommendation.
“Keep in mind, that’s only the recommendation of the Sunset Commission,” clarified Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes to show that lawmakers have a long way to go before a final decision is made.
TYC Executive Director Cherie Townsend released a statement that outlined the long road ahead before any recommendation becomes a reality.
“The next step will be for members to introduce bills in the House and the Senate to create a new agency,” said Townsend “These bills will go into more detail to describe the organization and mission of a new agency, as well as the operating structure. These bills must go through the legislative process, including hearings in both houses, and a consensus must be reached by both legislative bodies. This will be a lengthy process and I’m certain you will hear much more discussion before a final outcome is determined.”
This is the second time a Sunset panel has recommended the merging of the two agencies.
Several lawmakers in Austin have praised the decision to merge the two agencies to save the state money.
