TO:	Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB3917 by Buckley (Relating to dismissal of a complaint alleging a parent contributing to nonattendance on the parent's fulfillment of certain terms.), As Engrossed

It is assumed that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources.

The bill would modify courts' ability to dismiss a parent contributing to nonattendance under Article 45.0531 of the Code of Criminal Procedure adding a requirement that the charge be dismissed if a parent completes an agreement between the parent and the child's school district. Section 25.094 would be added to the Education Code laying out the requirements for agreements for dismissal of parent noncontributing charges.

Local Government Impact

The dismissal of cases under the new law may result in potential decreases in court cost and fine revenue. However, according to data from the Office of Court Administration, there were approximately 12,000 of these cases filed in fiscal year 2020. Therefore, no significant fiscal impact on local court systems is anticipated.

The bill would create additional work for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to develop and monitor the completion of a plan that would require the parent to attend training, counseling, or another program in order to have a charge of contributing to nonattendance dismissed by the court if the complaint was filed by the LEA.