HBA-JEK H.B. 688 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 688 By: Woolley Licensing & Administrative Procedures 2/14/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law prohibits a person from consuming an alcoholic beverage or possessing an open alcoholic beverage container within 1,000 feet of a public or private school, and authorizes a commissioners court to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverage near a church, public school, or public hospital. Current law does not, however, specifically address the possession, consumption, and sale of alcohol near parochial schools. House Bill 688 extends the limitations on the possession, consumption, and sale of alcohol to include areas near parochial schools. 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 688 amends the Alcoholic Beverage Code to include a parochial school among the schools near which a person commits a Class C misdemeanor for possessing an open container or consuming an alcoholic beverage on a public street, alley, or sidewalk within 1,000 feet of the property line. The bill also extends this prohibition to any public, private, or parochial school that provides a child-care program or all or any part of a prekindergarten program. The bill extends the authority of the commissioners court to prohibit the sale of alcoholic beverages by a dealer within 300 feet of a private or parochial school in areas of the county outside of an incorporated city or town. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.