BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 1685

By: Hughes

Corrections

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Current law authorizes a judge to order a defendant, in lieu of community service hours, to make a donation to a nonprofit food bank or food pantry in the community in which the defendant resides for purposes of satisfying a community supervision condition. Interested parties contend that this law is too restrictive for communities in which a food bank or food pantry may not exist or in which other worthy nonprofit organizations also provide charitable services to the community. H.B. 1685 seeks to remedy this situation. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

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. 1685 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize a judge to order a defendant, in lieu of requiring the defendant to work a specified number of hours at a community service project in satisfaction of a condition of community supervision and as an alternative to ordering such a defendant to make a specified donation to a nonprofit food bank or food pantry, to make a specified donation to another nonprofit organization that provides services or assistance to needy individuals and families in the community in which the defendant resides and is a charitable organization exempted from federal income tax under the federal Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2015.