Honorable John T. Smithee, Chair, House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB207 by Guillen (Relating to the prosecution of certain criminal offenses prohibiting sexually explicit visual material involving an anatomically correct doll, mannequin, or robot that has the features of a child.), As Introduced
Expanding the conduct constituting an existing 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. The fiscal implications of the bill cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties.
The bill would expand conduct constituting the offense of possession or promotion of child pornography and the offense of possession or promotion of lewd visual material depicting a child to include when the visual material is printed or reproduced on an anatomically correct doll, mannequin, or robot that has the features of a child and that is intended to be used for sexual stimulation or gratification.
The Office of Court Administration indicates that fiscal impact is indeterminate. The Comptroller of Public Accounts indicates that prosecution of additional court cases could lead to an increase in state revenue associated with court costs, but that the degree of any increase cannot be estimated.
Local Government Impact
While the fiscal impact cannot be determined, expanding the conduct constituting an existing offense may result in increased demands upon 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.
Source Agencies:
212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council, 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts