LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
83RD LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 8, 2013

TO:
Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
SB264 by Huffman (Relating to the addition of certain substances to Penalty Groups 1-A and 2 of the Texas Controlled Substances Act for criminal prosecution and other purposes.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted

The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code as it relates to the addition of certain substances to the list of Penalty Group 1-A and 2 substances in the Texas Controlled Substances Act. Under current law, possession of a Penalty Group 1-A and 2 substances are punishable at various felony levels and punishment is based on the amount of substance possessed.


The manufacture, delivery, possession with intent to deliver, or possession of a substance in Penalty Group 1-A or 2 is punishable at various felony levels, with the level of punishment increasing in severity based on the amount by weight of the substance manufactured, delivered, or possessed with intent to deliver. 

 
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). A felony of the third degree is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 10 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000. A felony of the second degree is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 20 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000. A felony of the first degree is punishable by confinement in prison for life or a term from 5 to 99 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.

 

Expanding the list of substances for which possession is a criminal offense is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the state due to longer terms of probation, or longer terms of confinement in county jail, state jail, or prison. For this analysis, it is assumed the number of offenders convicted under the provisions of the bill 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:
UP, LM, GG