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:
SB11 by Birdwell (relating to the carrying of handguns on the campuses of and certain other locations associated with institutions of higher education; providing a criminal penalty. ), Conference Committee Report
The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions for criminal offenses are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend various codes to allow concealed handgun license holders to carry concealed handguns in certain locations associated with institutions of higher education. At present, possession of a firearm on a campus of higher education is a third degree felony. A third degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term of two to 10 years and an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.
In fiscal year 2014, 563 individuals were arrested, 38 were placed under felony community supervision, and fewer than 10 were admitted into state correctional institutions for possessing a weapon in a prohibited place. A statewide repository containing the level of detail necessary to isolate those individuals who held concealed handgun licenses and possessed concealed handguns in certain locations associated with institutions of higher education at the time of the offense from all other individuals arrested and convicted under the statute referenced by the bill is not currently available. This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions for criminal offenses would not result in a significant impact on state correctional populations, programs, or workloads.