BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 286
86R2636 SMT-F	By: Miles
	Intergovernmental Relations
	3/22/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

S.B. 286 allows the Fort Bend Commissioners Court to create and enforce rules governing usage of public parks under its jurisdiction. These rules include minor offenses such as graffiti or trespassing.

Currently, only counties with populations of 2.8 million or more are authorized by the Local Government Code to criminally cite individuals for violating rules in county-run parks. Other counties may still create rules, but they are not able to levy fines to enforce them, meaning the rules have little effect.

City governments and municipal police departments already have this power and regularly issue citations in municipal parks, while county law enforcement cannot cite violations in county parks.

S.B. 286 allows rules violations in Fort Bend County parks to be punished as Class C misdemeanors. This enforcement mechanism allows park officials to cite rule violators, giving the park rules teeth and deterring future offenses.

Support for S.B. 286 will come from Fort Bend County officials.

There is no known opposition to S.B. 286.

As proposed, S.B. 286 amends current law relating to the power of certain counties to enact park use rules.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Section 320.0455(a), Local Government Code, as follows:

(a) Provides that this section applies to:

(1) creates this subdivision from existing text; and

(2) a county with a population of 580,000 or more adjacent to a county with a population of 2.8 million or more.

SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2019.