HBA-EDN H.B. 522 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 522 By: Tillery Criminal Jurisprudence 3/13/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, permanently disabled officers who were injured in the line of duty as a result of another person's criminally injurious conduct are eligible for benefits through a local disability plan. However, benefits received under such plans may not make up for the total amount of lost income or provide for continuing medical expenses. House Bill 522 allows certain officers who have been permanently disabled through criminally injurious conduct to have access to the Attorney General's Crime Victim's Compensation Fund. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 522 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to provide that this Act be known as the Bill Biles Law. The bill authorizes a peace officer or a former peace officer injured after August 31, 1989, and before September 2, 2001, as a result of the criminally injurious conduct of another person while the officer was performing duties as a peace officer to file an application for compensation not later than September 1, 2002. The bill excludes such a peace officer from the requirement under current law that an application for compensation not be filed later than three years from the date of the criminally injurious conduct. The provision expires September 2, 2002. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.