Honorable Todd Smith, Chair, House Committee on Elections
FROM:
John S. O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1143 by Brown, Betty (Relating to the penalty for making a false statement on a voter registration application.), As Introduced
The bill would amend the Election Code by enhancing the punishment for the offense of making a false statement on a voter registration application from a Class B misdemeanor to a felony of the third degree.
A third degree felony is punishable by imprisonment in the institutional division for any term of not more than 10 years or less than 2 years, or, in addition to confinement, a fine not to exceed $10,000.
According to arrest data provided by the Texas Department of Public Safety and misdemeanor community supervision placement data, fewer than ten persons per year are arrested or placed on community supervision for the offense of making a false statement on a voter registration application. Therefore, due to the number of defendants potentially affected by the bill, it is assumed that the bill would not significantly affect the workload of state corrections agencies.