HBA-JLV S.B. 1701 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1701 By: Staples Criminal Jurisprudence 5/16/2001 Engrossed BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Currently, there is some confusion regarding the application of certain repeat offender provisions of the Penal Code. Senate Bill 1701 ensures that offenders who commit an offense under older versions of the Penal Code or the penal codes of another state are eligible as repeat offenders. 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 Senate Bill 1701 amends the Penal Code to require a defendant to be punished by imprisonment in the institutional division for life if the defendant has been previously convicted of specified offenses, whether the offense is an offense under the laws of another state or an offense under a law of this state for which the Penal Code section number or offense name has changed. The bill provides that the offense for the theft of property valued less than $1,500 may be enhanced for the purposes of punishment if it is shown that the defendant has previously been convicted of prior felony convictions. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.