LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
84TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 6, 2015

TO:
Honorable Myra Crownover, Chair, House Committee on Public Health
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB1212 by Price (Relating to the designation and regulation of abusable synthetic substances, the emergency scheduling of certain controlled substances, and the prosecution and punishment of certain offenses involving a controlled substance or controlled substance analogue.), 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 authorize the Commissioner of Health and Human Services to designate certain consumer commodities as abusable synthetic substances.  Depending upon the circumstances, the manufacture, distribution, and retail sale of these substances would be punished as a state jail felony.   

A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for 180 days to two years and an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.   

Creating a new offense is expected to increase correctional supervision and/or incarceration populations and thereby increase demands on county and/or state correctional resources. This analysis assumes implementing the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact on state correctional agencies, programs, or workloads.





Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
UP, LM, JPo