LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT

87TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 5, 2021

TO:
Honorable Terry Canales, Chair, House Committee on Transportation
 
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB2081 by Reynolds (Relating to motor vehicle accidents involving a pedestrian or other vulnerable road user within the area of a crosswalk; creating a criminal offense.), As Introduced

The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend the Transportation Code as it relates to the operation and movement of vehicles.  Under the provisions of the bill, operating a motor vehicle within the area of a crosswalk and, with criminal negligence, causing bodily injury to a pedestrian or to a person operating certain other types of vehicles would be punishable as a Class A misdemeanor or, if causing serious bodily injury, as a state jail felony. 

A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for a term from 180 days to 2 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000 or Class A misdemeanor punishment. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by confinement in county jail for a term not to exceed one year and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $4,000.

Creating an offense 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, AAL, LM, DGI