| TO: | Honorable Terry Keel, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence |
| FROM: | John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB492 by Jones, Jesse (Relating to the prosecution and punishment of injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Penal Code by changing the definition of an elderly individual from a person 65 years of age or older to a person 60 years of age or older in relation to the offense of injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual. The bill would also enhance the punishment for certain cases of this offense from a felony of the third degree to a felony of the second degree. Other cases of the offense of injury to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual would be enhanced from a state jail felony to a felony of the third degree. Increasing the penalty for any criminal offense is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to longer terms of probation, or, longer terms of confinement in prison. In the case of this bill, the increased workload and demand for resources would probably not be substantial.
| Source Agencies: | 696 Department of Criminal Justice
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| LBB Staff: | JK, WK, GG
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