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LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT
88TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
March 29, 2023
TO:
Honorable Ken King, Chair, House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB4115 by Thompson, Senfronia (Relating to eligibility for membership on and the regulation of horse and greyhound racing by the Texas Racing Commission; creating a criminal offense.), As Introduced
The bill would amend the Texas Racing Act state jail felony offense of unlawful racing and third degree felony offense of racing without a license to include conduct within each being committed at a racetrack without a mass gathering permit. The bill would create a criminal offense for a person who seeks to enter, train, or ride a horse for a horse race or seeks to enter or train a greyhound in a greyhound race and knows or reasonably should know that the horse or greyhound has participated in a performance or race in the state that was not conducted under the Texas Racing Act or Texas Racing Commission rule or under a mass gatherings permit. The offense would be a state jail felony, except it would be a third degree felony in certain circumstances.
Creating a new criminal offense may result in additional demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement.
In fiscal year 2022, there was one individual was arrested, two placed on community supervision, and no individuals admitted into a state correctional institution for a felony offense under the Texas Racing Act involving racing without a license or bribery and corrupt influence.
It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.