BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 442

By: Meyer

Criminal Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Concerns have been raised that the statute of limitations for the offense of abandoning or endangering a child is too short a time for victims of child abandonment or endangerment to come forward. H.B. 442 seeks to address these concerns by extending the statute of limitations for the offense of abandoning or endangering a child.

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

H.B. 442 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to extend the statute of limitations for the offense of abandoning or endangering a child from five years from the date of the commission of the offense to 10 years from that date. The bill expressly does not apply to an offense if the prosecution of that offense becomes barred by limitation before the bill's effective date, and the prosecution of that offense remains barred as if the bill had not taken effect.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2019.