TO:	Honorable Harold V. Dutton, Jr., Chair, House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues
FROM:	John S. O'Brien, Deputy Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB1575 by Dutton (Relating to juvenile delinquency; providing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced

The bill would amend the Penal Code by creating the offense of prohibited substances and items in juvenile correctional and detention facilities or on Texas Youth Commission Property.  The offense would be punishable as a felony of the third degree.  The increased workload and demand for resources as a result of this provision of the bill would probably not be substantial. 
 
The bill would also amend the Human Resources Code by allowing for children with determinate sentences to be released under supervision without approval of the juvenile court that entered the order of commitment if not more than nine months remain before discharge date.  The Texas Youth Commission (TYC) estimates that such a change in release policy would decrease the TYC institutional average daily population by 5 persons and increase the parole supervision population by 5 persons in terms of average daily population.