| TO: | Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | SB767 by Ogden (Relating to jurisdiction over and punishment of certain misdemeanor offenses.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend the Code of Criminal Procedure to assign exclusive original jurisdiction in criminal cases punishable by fine only or punishable by a fine and, as authorized by statute, a sanction not consisting of confinement or imprisonment. The bill would remove from original jurisdiction of justices of the peace criminal cases arising from certain violations of Chapter 106, Alcoholic Beverage Code.
The bill would amend the Transportation Code to increase the maximum fine for general traffic offenses on a highway from $200 to $500 and would specify that a misdemeanor offense under Chapter 542 would be a Class C unless otherwise indicated.
The provisions of the bill would apply only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of the bill, which would be September 1, 2007.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, ES, DB
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