Bill
HB 549
84(R) - 2015
House County Affairs
House County Affairs
County Affairs
Vote Recommendation
Yes
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Positive
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Neutral
Author(s)
Eric Johnson
Co-Author(s)
Carol Alvarado
Cecil Bell Jr.
Cesar Blanco
Garnet F. Coleman
Charlie Geren
John Kuempel
Joe Pickett
Ramon Romero Jr.
Armando Walle
Gene Wu
Bill Caption
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
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Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State. There may be a cost to counties to meet certain minimum standards for
prisoner visitation. County jails may have to modify or upgrade their
current visitation systems and may require additional staff to supervise
visits and escort inmates. The fiscal impact would vary depending on a
county jail's resources and may be significant.
Bill Analysis
HB 549 would require county jails to adopt reasonable rules and procedures regarding in-house visitation with at least a minimum of two in-person, noncontact visitation periods at least twenty minutes each week. This would not limit county authority to restrict prisoner visitation for disciplinary reasons.
Vote Recommendation Notes
05/25/2015 update:
Minor changes were made to this bill that do not affect our vote recommendation. The second chamber sponsor is Senator Whitmire.
First chamber recommendation:
This bill affirms the principle of limited government. Studies have shown that familial visits help to cut recidivism rates which benefits the individual liberty of the incarcerated who will eventually re-integrate into society and the taxpayer whose costs for the criminal justice system will diminish. We support HB 549.
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