HBA-MSH H.B. 3108 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3108
By: Hardcastle
Public Education
3/26/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Under current law, a person commits an offense by intentionally disrupting
the conduct of classes or other school activities.  Because the law is
phrased in the plural, a person must be found to have disrupted more than
one class or school activity in order to be convicted.  Many incidents
occur that disrupt only one class or activity, especially in the case of
activities before and after school that take place when few others are in
the school.  Also under current law, it is an offense to prevent a student
from attending a class or school activity, but not to prevent or hinder
entering or exiting the school before or after classes begin.  House Bill
3108 makes it an offense to disrupt a class or school activity as well as
to prevent or hinder entering or exiting a school and enhances penalties. 

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 3108 amends the Education Code to provide that a person commits
an offense if the person intentionally disrupts the conduct of a single
class or school activity rather than multiple classes or activities.   The
bill provides that "school activity" includes an activity held on school
property before or after school. The bill also provides that it is an
offense to prevent or hinder entrance to or exit from school property
during the period beginning one hour before commencement of classes for the
school day and ending one hour after conclusion of classes for the school
day.  If a person convicted of an offense under these provisions has
previously been convicted for that offense, the bill provides that the
offense is a Class B misdemeanor. 

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.