LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
 
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT STATEMENT

89TH LEGISLATIVE REGULAR SESSION
 
May 20, 2025

TO:
Honorable Pete Flores, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
 
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
 
IN RE:
HB3464 by Meza (relating to increasing the criminal penalties for the offenses of providing or possessing with the intent to provide an alcoholic beverage, a controlled substance, or a dangerous drug to a person in the custody of a correctional facility, taking an alcoholic beverage, a controlled substance, or a dangerous drug into a correctional facility, and taking a controlled substance or dangerous drug on property owned, used, or controlled by a correctional facility.), Committee Report 2nd House, Substituted

The bill would increase the penalty for the third degree felony offense of prohibited substances and items in a correctional or civil commitment facility to a second degree felony when the actor is employed by the correctional facility and commits certain conduct related to the offense or to a first degree felony with a minimum fifteen year sentence if the consumption of the controlled substance or dangerous drug that is the subject of the offense causes the death of a person in the custody of the correctional facility.

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 2024, there were 2,666 arrests, 31 referrals, 195 placements onto adult community supervision, 305 individuals admitted into an adult state correctional facility, and no individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional facility for the prohibited substances offenses which could be subject to enhanced penalties.

While it is assumed that the impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant, it would be dependent on the number of offenses committed under the specific circumstances as outlined in the bill.




Source Agencies:
LBB Staff:
JMc, MGol, AMr, DGI, QH