| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Positive | Neutral |
Relating to criminal conduct that endangers law enforcement;
creating a criminal offense and increasing a criminal penalty.
Creating a criminal offense is expected to result in
additional demands on the correctional resources of the counties or of the
State. The probable fiscal impact of implementing the bill is indeterminate due
to the lack of information on the number of individuals who have violated the
provisions related to use of fireworks or laser pointers harming a peace
officer and resulting in bodily injury.
This information is necessary to identify the cases affected by the
provisions of the bill from all other criminal conduct cases.
HB 2366 creates a felony of the third degree if an individual directing a laser pointer at a peace officer causes bodily injury to the officer, or a felony of the first degree if the individual causes
serious bodily injury to the officer. Additionally, the bill states that person
commits an offense if the person explodes or ignites fireworks with
the intent to interfere with the official duty by a law enforcement officer or flee from a person the actor knows is a law
enforcement officer attempting to lawfully arrest or detain the
actor.
Texas Action supports HB 2366 which sets appropriate punishment for intentionally causing harm to police officers and interfering with the duty of law enforcement officers by shooting fireworks at them. This is consistent with the principles of limited government and personal responsibility.