Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1728 by Birdwell (Relating to public access to juvenile court proceedings.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Family Code to address public access to the prosecution of certain juvenile offenses for people at or over the age of 14. The bill would establish procedures for determining when the public should be excluded from these proceedings and would require a court to make certain findings of fact and conclusions of law and to identify substantial reasons before excluding the public. Based on the analysis of the Office of Court Administration, duties and responsibilities associated with implementing the provisions of the resolution could be accomplished by utilizing existing resources.
Local Government Impact
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated. Local courts may realize increased costs due to additional filings and hearings; however, that would depend on the number of cases filed.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council