83rd Legislative Session Update
Fiscal notes are designed to inform Legislators and Representatives about economic costs attached to proposed pieces of Legislation. This individual note is from The Director of the Legislative Budget Board, (Ursula Parks), to the Chair of the House Committee on Criminal Jurisprudence, (Abel Herrero).
This bill would make failure to report a child missing or deceased a crime. It would be punished as a “Class A misdemeanor, or a state jail felony, depending on the circumstances.” Except for the failure to report the death of a child, which will be listed a a state jail felony. The bill is not expected to have any measurable costs or fiscal implications for the State of Texas. It creates two new offenses under what could be typically a result of child neglect and/or abuse. The fiscal note was sent on April 8th of 2013, and was first filed in November of 2012. It has been read, sent to committee, and is currently pending there. It remains to see if this will be enacted, with these new charges created.