✅Relating to the payment of restitution.

✅ SB 1666: Faster restitution payments and clearer victim contact

What it says it does:
Streamlines how restitution payments owed by people released from prison or supervision are sent to victims, while protecting victim privacy.

What it actually changes:
Requires TDCJ to include a victim’s last known address when sending restitution to court clerks, makes that information confidential, shortens the holding period for unclaimed restitution from five years to three, and then sends unclaimed funds to the Comptroller under the unclaimed property system.

Who is pushing for it:
Support noted from Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, county and district clerk associations, local officials, TDCJ staff, and Comptroller staff.

Who benefits:
Victims who can be contacted faster, county clerks who get clearer information, and the Comptroller who manages unclaimed funds in a standard way.

Who gets left out or exposed:
Victims who cannot be located within three years will face an extra hurdle by having to claim their money from the Comptroller instead of directly from the clerk.

Why this matters long term:
It reduces idle balances in county offices, centralizes oversight of unclaimed funds, and strengthens victim privacy protections.

What to watch next:
How effectively TDCJ transmits accurate address data, whether counties make real efforts to contact victims within three years, and if victims are informed about how to recover money once it moves to the Comptroller.

Bottom line:
This bill cleans up the restitution system by closing gaps between state agencies and local clerks. It protects privacy, speeds up payment, but also shortens the window for direct victim claims.

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