Honorable Nicole Collier, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB854 by Burns (Relating to the punishment for the offense of unlawfully carrying a handgun by a license holder.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Penal Code to reduce the penalty class for the offenses of unlawfully carrying a handgun by a license holder on the premises of a hospital or nursing facility, in an amusement park, or in an open meeting of a governmental entity from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $200, except that the offense is a Class A misdemeanor if it is shown on trial of the offense that, after entering the property, the license holder was personally given notice by oral communication that entry on the property was forbidden, and the license holder subsequently failed to depart.
According to the Office of Court Administration, no significant impact to the state court system is anticipated.
Local Government Impact
A Class C misdemeanor under the bill is punishable by a fine of not more than $200. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $4,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both. Lost revenue from reduced fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have a significant fiscal impact.