HBA-EDN S.B. 1421 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1421
By: West, Royce
Criminal Jurisprudence
4/30/2001
Engrossed



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

The 75th Legislature established the Center for the Study and Prevention of
Juvenile Crime and Delinquency at Prairie View A&M University, which works
to research and prevent juvenile crime, subject to the availability of
funds for that purpose.  Currently, funding is provided for that program
through fees imposed on defendants upon conviction of certain offenses.
Increasing these fees or imposing additional fees on defendants may help to
ensure the continuation of this program, as well as similar programs such
as the Correctional Management Institute at Sam Houston State University,
which provides professional development programs unrelated to law
enforcement.  Senate Bill 1421 increases the fee imposed on certain
defendants, a fee which is currently allocated to the Center for the Study
and Prevention of Juvenile Crime and Delinquency.  The bill imposes an
additional fee on these defendants that is to be allocated to the
Correctional Management Institute of Texas and Criminal Justice Center at
Sam Houston State University.     

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

Senate Bill 1421 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to increase, from 25
to 50 cents, the amount that a person convicted of a felony, a Class A or B
misdemeanor, an offense punishable by imprisonment or confinement in jail,
or a municipal ordinance punishable by a fine of more than $500 is required
to pay, in addition to other costs of conviction, on conviction of the
offense. 

S.B. 1421 requires a person convicted of an offense described above to pay
an additional 50 cents on conviction of the offense and requires the
comptroller of public accounts to deposit money received under this
provision to the credit of an account in the state treasury to be used only
for the establishment and operation of the Correctional Management
Institute of Texas and Criminal Justice Center account.     

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.