| TO: | Honorable Joseph Pickett, Chair, House Committee on Transportation |
| FROM: | John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1078 by Truitt (Relating to increasing the penalty for illegal ground transportation solicitation at certain airports.), As Introduced |
The bill would increase from a Class B misdemeanor to a Class A misdemeanor the offense of soliciting or engaging in ground transportation business at certain airports without permission from the municipalities that operate or control the airport.
The punishment for a Class B misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $2,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days or both. The punishment for a Class A misdemeanor is a fine not to exceed $4,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both.
Revenue gain from the increase in maximum fine amounts would depend on the number of offenses committed and the discretion of the judge in imposing the amount of the fine. Costs associated with additional time of confinement in jail would vary by jail. As an example, the average cost per day per person confined in the Dallas County jail is $55.60 and in the Harris County jail is $72.50. The cost for confining a person for one year in the Dallas County jail would be $20,294, compared to the cost of $10,008 for confinement for 180 days.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | JOB, KJG, DB
|