HBA-LJP, EDN H.B. 1698 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1698 By: Morrison Criminal Jurisprudence 4/12/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a person commits an offense if the person is intoxicated while operating a motor vehicle in a public place. If the offense is the person's first driving while intoxicated offense and the person does not have any certain extenuating circumstances, then the offense is a Class B misdemeanor that carries a minimum term of confinement of 72 hours. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more people die in alcohol-related crashes in Texas than any other state. If the penalty for driving while intoxicated within a school crossing zone were increased, it might help prevent children from becoming victims of alcohol-related accidents. House Bill 1698 establishes the offense of driving while intoxicated in a school crossing zone as a Class A misdemeanor. 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 1698 amends the Penal Code to provide that if it is shown on the trial of an offense of driving while intoxicated that at the time of the offense the person was operating the motor vehicle in a school crossing zone, the offense is a Class A misdemeanor with a minimum term of confinement of 30 days. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.