BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1706

By: Gutierrez

Criminal Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

When a county jail reaches capacity because of the large number of persons charged with minor, misdemeanor offenses, the jail often incurs additional costs relating to housing inmates and appointing attorneys for indigent inmates. It has been suggested that minor changes to the law could reduce jail intake and help jails avoid incurring these costs for minor offenses. H.B. 1706 seeks to address this issue by increasing the maximum amount of damages that would result in a person being charged with a misdemeanor offense from $50 to $100.

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. 1706 amends the Penal Code to increase from less than $50 to less than $100 the maximum amount of pecuniary loss resulting from a criminal mischief offense that makes the offense a Class C misdemeanor. The bill increases from $50 to $100 the minimum value of pecuniary loss resulting from a criminal mischief offense that makes the offense a Class B misdemeanor.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2011.