HBA-SEP H.B. 1955 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 1955 By: Zbranek Criminal Jurisprudence 3/25/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, a defendant placed in jail on account of failure to pay the fine and costs of a case is required to be discharged when the defendant has remained in jail a sufficient length of time to satisfy the fine and costs. The defendant may satisfy this amount at a rate of not less than $100 for each day or part of a day of jail time served, while a defendant who performs exactly eight hours of community service is discharged from $100 of fines or costs. Defining a specific time period for defendants serving jail time to satisfy fines and costs will make these provisions more consistent. House Bill 1955 authorizes a convicting court to specify a period of time that is not less than eight hours or more than 24 hours as the period for which a misdemeanant who fails to pay the fine and costs in the case must remain in jail to satisfy $100 of the fine and costs. 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 1955 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize a convicting court to specify a period of time that is not less than eight hours or more than 24 hours as the period for which a misdemeanant who fails to pay the fine and costs in the case must remain in jail to satisfy $100 of the fine and costs. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.