By Shannon Edmonds
TDCAA Executive Director in Austin
We are still accepting nominations for the new Rising Star Prosecutor Awards I mentioned in this column last issue, which you can learn more about at www.tdcaa.com/rising-star-awards (or search for “rising star” on our website). Meanwhile, it is time for us to also solicit recommendations for other deserving members of our association. TDCAA annually recognizes outstanding members of our association through various awards, including Prosecutor of the Year. To learn more about those awards and how to nominate someone, visit the new Association Awards page of our website at www.tdcaa.com/ association-awards (or search for “awards”). Questions can also be directed to awards@ tdcaa.com.
Data reporting
The Data Committee of the Texas Judicial Council (TJC) is currently working on proposed administrative rules for the implementation of Government Code §71.0354 (Prosecuting Attorney Information), a new statute passed as part of House Bill 16 during the legislature’s second special session several months ago. That new law requires all county attorney and district attorney offices handling criminal matters to report to the TJC internal data about criminal caseloads, office personnel, and certain types of pretrial releases. TJC’s Data Committee has been consulting with TDCAA and other stakeholders (as required by HB 16) and should be releasing its proposed rules by the end of June. Those rules will then be subject to a public comment period, after which the TJC will finally adopt its rules for implementation no later than September 1, 2026.
Unlike the attorney general’s half-baked recent attempts to impose—without legal authorization—onerous data reporting upon only certain specific local prosecutors, these requirements imposed by HB 16 apply to all criminal prosecutors, but they will also be easier to comply with. Please be sure to check our website’s front page for news and announcements related to this topic as things progress.
More on membership
In our previous issue I started an analysis of our membership participation by looking at the rate of elected prosecutor participation (94 percent) in our association. So how do their assistants match up?
Our most recent membership survey reveals that there are 3,342 lawyers working as assistant county attorneys and assistant district attorneys. Of that group, 2,935 (88 percent) are dues-paying members of TDCAA. But if it weren’t for one large metro office in which only 10 percent of the prosecutors are members, the statewide membership rate for assistants would be 97 percent, which is essentially the same as the overall statewide rate for elected felony prosecutors (98 percent). So, again, our association is maintaining an enviable membership rate among those in our service group who are lawyers. It is also encouraging to see that despite the post-pandemic challenges we face to recruit and retain lawyers, the current number of prosecutors in Texas is 10 percent higher than it was three years ago. Let’s hope that trend continues because our overall state population continues to grow at a similar rate!
So that’s the skinny on prosecutor membership within TDCAA. But what about the non-lawyers in our service group? Stay tuned for that analysis in the next issue.
Staff change
In April, we said goodbye to Kristin Burns, our Domestic Violence Resource Prosecutor (DVRP), who left TDCAA for the proverbial “offer she couldn’t refuse”—namely, being the First Assistant under Bastrop County Criminal DA Bryan Goertz. Losing someone of Kristin’s experience and ability is never easy, but I think I can speak for our entire staff when I say I am thrilled that Kristin is getting this opportunity to return home in a new and more influential capacity. Bryan, you and your constituents are getting a good one!
Fortunately, Kristin can continue to teach the remaining Domestic Violence 101 courses on our schedule for this summer (see www.tdcaa.com/training for those details). These free, six-hour CLE courses have been well received thanks to the dedication and hard work Kristin put into developing this groundbreaking training. But what comes next? Well, that will be up to our new DVRP. If you are interested in the opportunity to take the DVRP baton from Kristin and run the next leg of that race, please look for the DVRP job posting on our website and email your requested information to apply@tdcaa.com.
More free CLE coming soon
TDCAA’s mandatory online course on Brady is currently being updated and refreshed for a relaunch this fall. Meanwhile, the 2022–2026 version is still available online. Anyone required by law to take it before then can access the course and additional details at www.tdcaa .com/mandatory-brady-training-now-available-for-2022-2026-cycle.
A look ahead
Keep checking this space in future issues of The Texas Prosecutor for upcoming news about an impending revision to our association’s bylaws, more membership updates, and other planned improvements to our association. Meanwhile, this issue of the journal is once again chock full of great material, including articles on the TeleSANE program, which makes Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) available in rural areas, and one Bexar County prosecutor’s argument in front of the Supreme Court of the United States. I hope you enjoy them! And as always, if you ever have any questions about TDCAA or what we do, please don’t hesitate to reach out for answers. We are here to serve you.