LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT

87TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
May 5, 2021

TO:
Honorable Bryan Hughes, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
 
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB574 by Bonnen (relating to the creation of criminal offenses involving elections.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis.  The bill would amend the Election Code as it relates to the offense of other election offenses.  Under the provisions of the bill, other election offenses would be created to include certain behaviors and the offenses would now be punishable by a second degree felony.  

A second degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 20 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000. 

Expanding the behaviors for which a criminal penalty is applied is expected to result in additional demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to an increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement within state correctional institutions.  This analysis assumes implementing the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions would not result in a significant impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources.  




Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
JMc, SMAT, LM, MP, SLE