HBA-KMH H.B. 210 76(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 210 By: Hochberg Criminal Jurisprudence 2/10/1999 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, the level of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) necessary for an individual to be legally intoxicated is 0.10 percent. Other states have lowered the legal limit to 0.08 percent for several reasons, including the belief that individuals are significantly impaired at levels lower than Texas state law currently allows and because the federal government has recently passed legislation authorizing specific funds to be released to a state if it lowers the BAC to 0.08 percent. H.B. 210 replaces the 0.10 percent BAC level with a 0.08 percent level. 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. SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS SECTION 1. Amends Section 49.01(2), Penal Code, by decreasing the alcohol concentration in blood from 0.10 to 0.08 under the definition of "intoxicated". SECTION 2. Makes application of this Act prospective. SECTION 3. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 4. Emergency clause.