LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT

88TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
April 17, 2023

TO:
Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
 
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
SB726 by Kolkhorst (Relating to enhancing the criminal penalty for the offense of intoxication manslaughter in certain circumstances.), As Introduced

The bill would increase the penalty for intoxication manslaughter from a second degree felony to a first degree felony in cases where the person caused the death of more than one person during the same criminal transaction.

Increasing the penalty for an existing offense may result in additional demands upon state correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals confined and in the length of stay for individuals sentenced to a term of confinement.

In fiscal year 2022, there were 178 individuals arrested, 22 individuals placed on adult community supervision, and 117 individuals admitted into an adult state correctional institution for intoxication manslaughter. It is unknown how many of these cases resulted in the death of more than one person. In fiscal year 2022, there were 11 individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional institution for a manslaughter offense. It is unknown how many of these cases were specifically intoxication manslaughter and if any such cases resulted in the death of more than one person. 

It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.



Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
JMc, DDel, LBO, MGol