TO:	Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Joe Straus, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives
FROM:	Ursula Parks, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB2645 by Blanco (Relating to the prosecution of certain offenses involving family violence and to the violation of certain court orders or conditions of bond in a family violence, sexual assault or abuse, or stalking case.), Conference Committee Report

The bill would amend the Penal Code to include removing, attempting to remove, or tampering with a global positioning monitoring system (GPS) to the list of behaviors subject to prosecution under the offense of violation of certain court orders or conditions of bond in a family violence, sexual assault or abuse, or stalking case. The bill would permit each party in a criminal case involving assault against a family member or other offenses to offer testimony or other evidence regarding the nature of the relationship between the defendant and the alleged victim in certain circumstances. An offense under this section is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor or a third degree felony depending on the circumstances of the offense. This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact on state correctional agencies.

The Office of Court Administration reported no significant fiscal impact to the state court system is anticipated.

Local Government Impact

A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $4,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both. Costs associated with enforcement, prosecution and confinement could likely be absorbed within existing resources. Revenue gain from fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have a significant fiscal implication.