AEZ C.S.H.B. 2233 75(R)BILL ANALYSIS


CRIMINAL JURISPRUDENCE
C.S.H.B. 2233
By: Williams
5-7-97
Committee Report (Substituted)



BACKGROUND 

Under current Texas law, crimes such as arson, theft, burglary, and
robbery have five year statutes of limitations, while statutes of
limitations on crimes such as injury to a child, abandoning/endangering a
child, kidnapping, and others is only three years.    HB 2233 seeks to
give such crimes five year statutes of limitations. 
 
PURPOSE

As proposed, HB 2233 would increase the statute of limitations from three
to five years for the crimes of  kidnapping, injury to a child, an elderly
person, or a disabled person, and abandoning/endangering a child. 

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. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Article 12.01, Code of Criminal Procedure, to increase
the statute of limitations for the crimes of  kidnapping,  injury to a
child,  elderly person,  a disabled person, and abandoning/endangering a
child to five years. 

SECTION 2.  Applies to crimes committed after the effective date of this
Act. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date September 1, 1997

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE

The original bill added aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault to
the five year statute of limitations.  The substitute did not include
those offenses.