BILL ANALYSIS

H.B. 3744

By: Manuel

Criminal Jurisprudence

Committee Report (Unamended)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Crime victims' compensation programs provide financial assistance to individuals who suffer physical or financial harm due to criminal acts. One category of eligible recipients includes "intervenors"—individuals who are injured or killed while, among other things, preventing criminally injurious conduct. The bill author has informed the committee that this definition is unnecessarily narrow. Recognizing this issue, H.B. 3744 seeks to expand eligibility for crime victims' compensation.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.

ANALYSIS

H.B. 3744 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to revise the definition of "intervenor" for purposes of the Crime Victims' Compensation Act by replacing that the individual who goes to the aid of another and is killed or injured in a good faith effort to prevent criminally injurious conduct with that such an individual does so in a good faith effort to prevent a criminal offense. The bill applies only to an action taken by an intervenor on or after the bill's effective date. An action taken by an intervenor before the bill's effective date is governed by the law in effect on the date the action was taken, and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2025.