LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 9, 2013

TO:
Honorable Geanie Morrison, Chair, House Committee on Elections
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB148 by Burkett (Relating to aid provided to certain voters; providing criminal penalties.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

The bill would amend the Elections Code to create an offense prohibiting the compensation of another for collecting balloting materials. The offense would be a misdemeanor punishable by confinement in jail for not more than one year or less than 30 days or confinement and a fine not to exceed $4,000. The offense would be a state jail felony if a defendant has been previously convicted of this offense two or more times.

 

A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for a term from 180 days to 2 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000 or Class A Misdemeanor punishment (mandatory post conviction community supervision).

 

Creating an offense is expected to increase correctional supervision and/or incarceration populations and thereby increase demands on county and/or state correctional resources. However, it is assumed that the number of offenders supervised or incarcerated under this statute would not significantly impact state correctional agency resources.



Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
UP, GG, LM, ESi