HBA-SEP H.B. 376 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 376 By: Goolsby Criminal Jurisprudence 3/12/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law does not provide that it is an offense if, with intent to defraud or harm another, a person destroys, removes, conceals, alters, substitutes, or otherwise impairs the verity, legibility, or availability of a universal product code label (UPC). Use of counterfeit UPC labels is a growing type of fraud causing higher prices for retailers and consumers. House Bill 376 adds UPC labels to the definition of "writing" in relation to the offense of fraudulent destruction, removal, or concealment of writing. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 376 amends the Penal Code to add universal product codes to the definition of "writing" in relation to the offense of fraudulent destruction, removal, or concealment of writing to establish the offense as a Class A misdemeanor. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.