Relating to the duty of the attorney general to represent the state in the prosecution of the criminal offense of trafficking of persons.

Texas attorney general takes stalled trafficking cases

Law enforcement must send the Texas attorney general and local prosecutor the same trafficking report at the same time. The report must state probable cause that an identified person committed the offense. The attorney general must handle the case once at least 180 days pass after submission without local prosecutorial action. For pending cases, the attorney general must file a notice of appearance and give the local prosecutor a copy. Otherwise, the attorney general must notify the local prosecutor of the plan to handle the case. Local prosecutors can object in court, which must hold a hearing within 30 days. If the court finds no prosecutorial action was taken, it must order the attorney general to handle the case. The attorney general may request nonpublic investigation information only when handling the case under this authority or with local prosecutor agreement. The new prosecution authority excludes offenses with any element occurring before the law’s effective date.