HBA-JRA H.B. 2289 76(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2289
By: Isett
Juvenile Justice and Family Issues
3/19/1999
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, municipalities and counties are allowed to adopt a
curfew during school hours. The purpose of the curfew is to deter juvenile
crimes, but a Justice Policy Institute study released in 1998 found that no
category of crime significantly declined when youth curfews were imposed
and that there was racial bias in the curfew enforcement.  Daytime curfews
may also duplicate state truancy laws.  H.B. 2289 prohibits a municipality
from adopting a curfew to regulate the movements or actions of persons
under 17 years of age during school hours. 

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 Subchapter Z, Chapter 341, Local Government Code, by
adding Section 341.906, as follows: 

Sec. 341.906.  JUVENILE CURFEW IN HOME-RULE MUNICIPALITY.  Prohibits the
governing body of a home-rule municipality from adopting a curfew to
regulate the movements or actions of persons under 17 years of age during
school hours. 

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 351.903(a), Local Government Code, to make a
conforming change. 

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.
  Effective date: 90 days after adjournment.