Honorable Larry Phillips, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1541 by McClendon (Relating to the prevention of automobile burglary and theft.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would implement recommendations in the report "Improve the Effectiveness of Motor Vehicle Theft Prevention Programs in Texas" in the Legislative Budget Board's Government Effectiveness and Efficiency Report submitted to the Eighty-second Texas Legislature, 2011.
The bill would amend Article 4413 of Vernon's Civil Statutes to require the Automobile Burglary and Theft Prevention Authority (ABTPA) to develop and use standard performance measures for each category of grants it provides. ABTPA would be required to ensure that grants are used to help increase the recovery rate of stolen motor vehicles, clearance rate of motor vehicle burglaries and thefts, and the number of persons arrested for motor vehicle burglary and theft. The bill would require ABTPA to allocate grant funds primarily based on the number of motor vehicles stolen in or motor vehicle burglary or theft rate across the state. ABTPA would be required to biennially update a plan of operation and provide it to the Legislature.
The bill would authorize the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to administer, rather than require, a statewide motor vehicle registration program. DPS would be required to collect data regarding theft rates and types of motor vehicles enrolled in the program, the recovery rate for stolen motor vehicles enrolled in the program, and the clearance rate of burglaries and thefts of motor vehicles enrolled in the program.
This analysis assumes that the provisions of the bill could be implemented using existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source Agencies:
405 Department of Public Safety, 608 Department of Motor Vehicles