BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 124

By: Jackson, Jim

Criminal Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Under current law, all offenses under the law regulating employment harmful to children, including repeat offenses, are Class A misdemeanors, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine up to $4,000.

H.B. 124 increases the penalty for any subsequent violations of these provisions to a felony in the third degree.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 124 amends the Penal Code to enhance the penalty for a subsequent conviction for the offense of employment harmful to children from a Class A misdemeanor to a third-degree felony.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2009.