HBA-DMD, RBT H.B. 3209 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3209
By: Jones, Jesse
Public Safety
7/30/1999
Enrolled



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Prior to the 76th Legislature, crime stoppers organizations certified by
local governments to receive money from payments made under Article 42.12
(Community Supervision), Code of Criminal Procedure, or repayments under
Article 37.073 (Repayment of Reward) and Article 42.152 (Repayment of
Reward), Code of Criminal Procedure, must have used at least 90 percent of
the money to reward persons who reported information concerning criminal
activity.  H.B. 3209 allows crime stoppers organizations to use certain
excess funds for law enforcement purposes relating to crime stoppers or
juvenile justice, including intervention, apprehension, adjudication, and
confinement. 

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 414.010, Government Code, by amending Subsection
(a) and adding Subsection (d), as follows: 

(a) Provides an exception to the authority of a crime stoppers organization
certified by the Crime Stoppers Advisory Council to receive money in the
form of payments from defendants placed on community supervision under
Article 42.12, Code of Criminal Procedure, or money in the form of
repayments of rewards under  Articles 37.073 and 42.152, Code of Criminal
Procedure, to use no more than 10 percent of the money annually received to
pay costs incurred in administering the organization.   

(b) Authorizes a crime stoppers organization which receives in excess of
three times the amount of funds that the organization uses to pay rewards
during a fiscal year based on the average amount of funds used to pay
rewards during each of the preceding three fiscal years, to deposit the
excess amount of funds in a separate interest-bearing account to be used by
the organization for law enforcement purposes relating to crime stoppers or
juvenile justice, including intervention, apprehension, adjudication, and
confinement. Authorizes an organization that deposits excess funds in an
account as provided by this subsection to use any interest earned on the
funds to pay costs incurred in administering the organization. Makes a
conforming change. 

SECTION 2.Effective date: September 1, 1999.

SECTION 3.Emergency clause.