Bill: HB 549, 84(R) - 2015

Committee

House County Affairs

Vote Recommendation

Vote Recommendation Economic Freedom Property Rights Personal Responsibility Limited Government Individual Liberty
Yes Neutral Neutral Neutral Positive 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.

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.


Source URL (retrieved on 03/28/2024 06:03 PM): http://reports.texasaction.com/bill/84r/hb549?print_view=true