BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 508

By: Wu

Urban Affairs

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Houston homeowners and law enforcement have raised concerns with current inefficiencies in enforcing prohibited yard parking ordinances, suggesting that enforcement under the required face-to-face citation process is too resource intensive for the severity of the infraction and enforcement is overly burdensome on city resources. H.B. 508 seeks to address these concerns by allowing municipalities with a population of 1.9 million or more to declare violations of prohibited yard parking ordinances to be a civil offense, punishable by fine instead of by criminal citation.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 508 amends the Local Government Code to authorize a municipality with a population of 1.9 million or more to declare the violation of a municipal ordinance relating to the parking of an unattended motor vehicle in the front or side yard of a single-family residence in a residential area to be a civil offense and to establish an administrative adjudication hearing procedure under which a civil fine may be imposed.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2023.