LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
 
86TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
March 3, 2019

TO:
Honorable Nicole Collier, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
 
FROM:
John McGeady, Assistant Director     Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director
Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB667 by King, Ken (Relating to the prosecution of and punishment for the offense of sexual assault; enhancing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced

The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis.  Under the provisions of the bill, the offense of sexual assault would be enhanced from a second degree felony to a first degree felony if the victim was a person to whom the actor was related as outlined in the bill's provisions.
 
A first degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 5 to 99 years or life, and a second degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term of 2 to 10 years.  In addition to confinement, first and second degree felony offenses are subject to an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.


Increasing the penalty for any offense is expected to result in additional demands upon the correctional resources of the state due to longer terms of supervision in the community or longer terms of confinement in state correctional institutions. In fiscal year 2018, 18 people were arrested, fewer than ten people were placed under felony community supervision, and fewer than ten people were admitted into state correctional institutions under the provisions of the bill subject to an increased penalty.  This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions would not result in a significant impact on state correctional populations or the demand for state correctional resources.






Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
WP, LM, JPo