Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB2296 by Cook, Robby (Relating to the reduction of a state jail felony prosecution to a misdemeanor prosecution.), As Engrossed
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Penal Code by allowing the court to authorize, at the request of the prosecuting attorney, the prosecution of a state jail felony as a Class A misdemeanor. By potentially lowering the range of sanctions for selected offenders, the bill could potentially decrease community supervision and incarceration expenses. Such savings would depend on the extent to which the punishment for state jail felons would be decreased as provided by the bill.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.