Honorable Garnet Coleman, Chair, House Committee on County Affairs
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3837 by Coleman (Relating to the offense of failure to comply with an order from a fire marshal and the authority of certain county employees to issue citations for certain violations; changing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Local Government Code to reduce the penalty for failure to comply with an order from a fire marshal from a Class B to a Class C misdemeanor in certain circumstances. The bill would also authorize certain counties to grant the authority to issue these citations to certain county employees not currently authorized.
Local Government Impact
A Class B misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $2,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed 180 days, or both.
A Class C misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $500. In addition to the fine, punishment can include up to 180 days of deferred disposition.
Lost revenue from reduced fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have a significant fiscal impact.