LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD

Austin, Texas

FISCAL NOTE, 78TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION

March 24, 2003

TO:	Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:	John Keel, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB827 by Whitmire (Relating to amending Section 22.041, Penal Code, to make it a criminal offense to abandon or endanger an elderly individual or a disabled individual and to make it a criminal offense to fail to provide adequate food, medical care, or shelter to a child, elderly individual, or disabled individual; providing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

The bill would amend the Penal Code by including elderly individuals and disabled individuals in the current offense of abandoning or endangering a child.  The bill would also amend the Penal Code by including the intentional or knowing failure to provide adequate food, medical care, or shelter to a child younger than 15 years, an elderly individual, or a disabled individual, as committing the offense of abandoning or endangering a child, an elderly individual, or a disabled individual.  It is assumed that the number of additional offenders convicted under this statute would not result in a significant impact on the programs and workload of state corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies.

Local Government Impact

No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.

Source Agencies:	696 Department of Criminal Justice
LBB Staff:	JK, JO, WK, GG, KG