HBA-EDN H.B. 2018 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2018 By: Uresti Transportation 4/27/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Motor vehicle crashes are the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children one to four years of age. Research has shown that child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 47 percent in children one to four years of age. Under current law, the penalty for transporting a child passenger younger than four years of age in a motor vehicle without properly restraining the child may not be less than $25 or more than $50. House Bill 2018 increases the fine for such an offense to not be less than $200 or more than $1,000. 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. ANALYSIS House Bill 2018 amends the Transportation Code to increase the minimum penalty, from $25 to $200, and the maximum penalty, from $50 to $1,000, for an offense of transporting in a passenger car or light truck a child passenger younger than two years of age without properly securing the child in a safety seat system or a child passenger who is at least two years of age but younger than four without properly securing the child in a safety seat system or by a safety belt. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.