| TO: | Honorable Abel Herrero, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB1527 by Farrar (Relating to abolishing the death penalty.), As Introduced |
The bill would amend various codes as they relate to abolishing the death penalty. This analysis assumes implementing the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact on state correctional agencies, programs, or workloads.
The Office of Court Administration indicates the bill would result in lower costs for state courts and some savings related to costs of indigent defense, appeals, and habeas corpus proceedings associated with death penalty trials. However, the amount of savings cannot be determined. In addition, the caseload for the Office of Capital Writs would not increase after the bill's enactment. The agency estimates that the office would be able to gradually complete its caseload over a four year period and that the pending caseload would be completed in fiscal year 2019. There would be a decrease in operational costs to the Office of Capital Writs associated with the agency working through this pending caseload during this time. However, any savings to General Revenue-Dedicated Fair Defense Account No. 5073 would be subsequently utilized by the Texas Indigent Defense Commission through the commission's estimated appropriation authority to the account for grants to counties to meet county costs associated with providing indigent defense services. Therefore, no savings to the state are anticipated.
| Source Agencies: | 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 215 Office of Capital Writs, 696 Department of Criminal Justice
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| LBB Staff: | UP, KJo, LM, JPo, GDz, JN
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