LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
85TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 23, 2017

TO:
Honorable Jodie Laubenberg, Chair, House Committee on Elections
 
FROM:
Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB3643 by Swanson (Relating to the assistance of voters; increasing a penalty.), As Introduced

The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions for criminal offenses are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend the Penal Code as it relates to perjury to make it a state jail felony to violate, three or more times in a single election, the oath while providing assistance to a voter.
 
A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for a term from 180 days to 2 years or Class A misdemeanor punishment. In addition to confinement, state jail felonies are also subject to an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.
 
Expanding the list of behaviors for which a felony penalty is applied is expected to result in increased demands on the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to longer terms of supervision in the community or longer terms of confinement within state correctional institutions. This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions would not result in a significant impact on the demand for state correctional resources.


Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
UP, LM, AKU