BILL ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 82

By: Minjarez

Defense & Veterans' Affairs

Committee Report (Substituted)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

There have been calls to recognize the vital contributions of military spouses, in keeping with the tradition of the national Military Spouse Day first proclaimed by President Reagan in 1984. C.S.H.B. 82 seeks to provide for an appropriate statewide commemorative day by designating May 8 as Military Spouse Appreciation Day.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

C.S.H.B. 82 amends the Government Code to designate May 8 as Military Spouse Appreciation Day to recognize the role of the husbands and wives of the brave individuals who serve in the U.S. armed forces or state military forces. The bill sets out the contributions commemorated by the day and requires its regular observation by appropriate programs and activities coordinated by the Texas Veterans Commission.

EFFECTIVE DATE

On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2019.

COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE

While C.S.H.B. 82 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.

The substitute changes the name of the commemorative day from "Military Spouse and Partner Appreciation Day" to "Military Spouse Appreciation Day" and removes references to "partner" and "partners."