Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1204 by White (Relating to the provision of services as an alternative to adjudication for certain children who engage in conduct in need of supervision or delinquent conduct.), As Engrossed
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Family Code and the Human Resources Code as they relate to the provision of services as an alternative to adjudication for certain children who engage in conduct in need of supervision or delinquent conduct. Under the provisions of the bill, individuals younger than 12 referred to a local juvenile probation department for certain conduct would be referred to certain community groups for services. A juvenile probation officer would monitor adherence to the service plan developed by the group.
This analysis assumes the provision of services specified by the bill would have no significant impact on juvenile correctional populations. The Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) and Office of Court Administration (OCA) do not indicate a significant fiscal impact. The bill would take effect on September 1, 2017 and apply only to conduct that occurs on or after the effect date of the Act.
Local Government Impact
According to OCA, the bill may lead to a reduced number of juvenile court prosecutions of children who are 10 or 11 years of age due to referrals for services by a community resource coordination group. According to TJJD, there will be a cost to counties in convening a community resource coordination group for every youth under 12 who is referred to juvenile probation departments. According to the Dallas County Juvenile Probation Department, the fiscal impact to the Department to implement the provisions of the bill is not anticipated to be significant. The Nueces County Juvenile Probation Department anticipates no fiscal impact to the Department to implement the provisions of the bill.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 644 Juvenile Justice Department