TO: | Honorable Pete Gallego, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence |
FROM: | John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
IN RE: | HB1856 by Woolley (Relating to the prosecution of and punishment for the offense of tampering with a witness. |
The bill would amend the Penal Code as it relates to the offense of tampering with a witness. Under the provisions of the bill, tampering with a witness would be punishable as a third degree felony unless it is part of the prosecution of a criminal case. As specified by the bill, the offense would be punishable as the most serious offense charged in the case. If the most serious offense charged in the case is a capital felony then tampering with a witness would be punishable as a first degree felony. At present, tampering with a witness is a state jail felony.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2011 and apply to offenses committed on or after that date.
For this analysis, it is assumed the number of offenders convicted under this statute would not result in a significant impact on the programs and workload of State corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies.
Source Agencies: |
LBB Staff: | JOB, LM, ESi, GG
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