SRC-JLB S.B. 218 78(R)   BILL ANALYSIS


Senate Research Center   S.B. 218
78R272 JMC-DBy: Ellis, Rodney
Jurisprudence
4/24/2003
As Filed


DIGEST AND PURPOSE 

Since January 1991, Texas has executed 11 persons who were under the age
of 18 at the time they committed a capital offense.  Texas currently
houses approximately one-third of all inmates currently on death row
serving sentences for a juvenile crime.  As proposed, S.B. 218 prohibits
the application of the death penalty to a person who was under age 18 when
the person committed a capital offense. 

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to
a state officer, institution, or agency. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 8.07(c), Penal Code, to prohibit any person, in
any case, from being punished by death for an offense committed while the
person was younger than 18, rather than 17, years.     

SECTION 2.  Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2003.