| TO: | Honorable Geanie Morrison, Chair, House Committee on Environmental Regulation |
| FROM: | Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB942 by Kacal (Relating to the storage of certain hazardous chemicals; transferring enforcement of certain reporting requirements, including the imposition of criminal, civil, and administrative penalties, from the Department of State Health Services to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.), As Introduced |
The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend the Health and Safety Code to permit the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to enforce certain violations under Chapter 7 of the Water Code. Violations of Chapter 7 of the Water Code are punishable at various misdemeanor and felony levels, depending on the circumstances of the offense.
Expanding the list of behaviors for which a criminal penalty may be applied is expected to increase demands on state correctional resources. In fiscal year 2014, 19 people were arrested, fewer than 10 were placed under felony community supervision, and fewer than 10 were admitted into state correctional institutions for violations of Chapter 7 of the Water Code. However, this analysis assumes the provisions of the bill would not significantly impact state correctional populations, programs, or workloads.
| Source Agencies: |
| LBB Staff: | UP, LM, ESi
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