HBA-KMH C.S.H.B. 2879 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisC.S.H.B. 2879 By: Chavez Criminal Jurisprudence 4/26/1999 Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE A number of individuals prey on persons seeking unlawful entry into the United States by transporting them into the country through Texas for profit. In some cases those being transported are forced into horrid conditions that sometimes lead to death. C.S.H.B. 2879 creates a state jail felony for transporting a person for a pecuniary benefit in such a way as to hide the person from government law enforcement and putting the person in danger of serious bodily injury. 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 Chapter 20, Penal Code, by adding Section 20.05, as follows: Sec. 20.05. UNLAWFUL TRANSPORT. Provides that it is a state jail felony if a person transports an individual for a pecuniary benefit in a manner that is designed to conceal the individual from local, state, or federal law enforcement authorities and creates a substantial likelihood that the individual will suffer serious bodily injury. SECTION 1. Effective date: September 1, 1999. SECTION 2. Emergency clause. COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL TO SUBSTITUTE C.S.H.B. 2879 modifies the original in SECTION 1 ( proposed Section 20.05, Penal Code) to add the condition of transporting for a pecuniary benefit to the conditions which must occur to create the offense of unlawful transport.