BILL ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3418 By: Morales, Eddie Criminal Jurisprudence Committee Report (Substituted) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bill author has informed the committee that currently, sex offenders on the federal sex offender registry are not eligible for employment at rideshare companies but those registered under the state sex offender registration program are eligible, resulting in a public safety issue, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, young girls, and children who could be possible passengers of rideshare drivers. C.S.H.B. 3418 seeks to address public safety concerns and promote greater vigilance within the rideshare workforce by prohibiting individuals who are subject to registration under the state's sex offender registration program from providing or offering to provide passenger transportation for a transportation network company or from logging in as a driver on such a company's digital network and requiring individuals who will be subject to such registration to be informed of that prohibition before release from a penal institution. CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3418 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to prohibit a person subject to registration under the sex offender registration program from doing the following: for compensation, providing or offering to provide passenger transportation through a prearranged ride for a transportation network company; or logging in as a driver on a transportation network company's digital network. The bill includes such prohibited employment among the certain types of prohibited employment of which a penal institution official is required to inform a person who will be subject to sex offender registration before releasing the person. The bill defines "transportation network company" by reference to applicable Occupations Code provisions. The bill's provisions apply to a person who is required to register under the sex offender registration program on or after the bill's effective date, regardless of whether the offense or conduct for which the person is required to register occurs before, on, or after the bill's effective date. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025. COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 3418 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute omits provisions from the introduced that did the following: required a transportation network company, before permitting an individual to log in as a driver on the company's digital network, to confirm that the individual is not subject to the registration requirements under the sex offender registration program and to use the website maintained by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that contains the sex offender database in conducting or causing to be conducted a local, state, and national criminal background check of the individual; and prohibited a transportation network company from permitting an individual who is subject to the registration requirements under the program according to that DPS website to log in as a driver on the company's digital network.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3418
By: Morales, Eddie
Criminal Jurisprudence
Committee Report (Substituted)
C.S.H.B. 3418
By: Morales, Eddie
Criminal Jurisprudence
Committee Report (Substituted)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The bill author has informed the committee that currently, sex offenders on the federal sex offender registry are not eligible for employment at rideshare companies but those registered under the state sex offender registration program are eligible, resulting in a public safety issue, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, young girls, and children who could be possible passengers of rideshare drivers. C.S.H.B. 3418 seeks to address public safety concerns and promote greater vigilance within the rideshare workforce by prohibiting individuals who are subject to registration under the state's sex offender registration program from providing or offering to provide passenger transportation for a transportation network company or from logging in as a driver on such a company's digital network and requiring individuals who will be subject to such registration to be informed of that prohibition before release from a penal institution.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS C.S.H.B. 3418 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to prohibit a person subject to registration under the sex offender registration program from doing the following: for compensation, providing or offering to provide passenger transportation through a prearranged ride for a transportation network company; or logging in as a driver on a transportation network company's digital network. The bill includes such prohibited employment among the certain types of prohibited employment of which a penal institution official is required to inform a person who will be subject to sex offender registration before releasing the person. The bill defines "transportation network company" by reference to applicable Occupations Code provisions. The bill's provisions apply to a person who is required to register under the sex offender registration program on or after the bill's effective date, regardless of whether the offense or conduct for which the person is required to register occurs before, on, or after the bill's effective date.
EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE While C.S.H.B. 3418 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill. The substitute omits provisions from the introduced that did the following: required a transportation network company, before permitting an individual to log in as a driver on the company's digital network, to confirm that the individual is not subject to the registration requirements under the sex offender registration program and to use the website maintained by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that contains the sex offender database in conducting or causing to be conducted a local, state, and national criminal background check of the individual; and prohibited a transportation network company from permitting an individual who is subject to the registration requirements under the program according to that DPS website to log in as a driver on the company's digital network.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The bill author has informed the committee that currently, sex offenders on the federal sex offender registry are not eligible for employment at rideshare companies but those registered under the state sex offender registration program are eligible, resulting in a public safety issue, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, young girls, and children who could be possible passengers of rideshare drivers. C.S.H.B. 3418 seeks to address public safety concerns and promote greater vigilance within the rideshare workforce by prohibiting individuals who are subject to registration under the state's sex offender registration program from providing or offering to provide passenger transportation for a transportation network company or from logging in as a driver on such a company's digital network and requiring individuals who will be subject to such registration to be informed of that prohibition before release from a penal institution.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 3418 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to prohibit a person subject to registration under the sex offender registration program from doing the following:
for compensation, providing or offering to provide passenger transportation through a prearranged ride for a transportation network company; or
logging in as a driver on a transportation network company's digital network.
The bill includes such prohibited employment among the certain types of prohibited employment of which a penal institution official is required to inform a person who will be subject to sex offender registration before releasing the person. The bill defines "transportation network company" by reference to applicable Occupations Code provisions. The bill's provisions apply to a person who is required to register under the sex offender registration program on or after the bill's effective date, regardless of whether the offense or conduct for which the person is required to register occurs before, on, or after the bill's effective date.
EFFECTIVE DATE
September 1, 2025.
COMPARISON OF INTRODUCED AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 3418 may differ from the introduced in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following summarizes the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
The substitute omits provisions from the introduced that did the following:
required a transportation network company, before permitting an individual to log in as a driver on the company's digital network, to confirm that the individual is not subject to the registration requirements under the sex offender registration program and to use the website maintained by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) that contains the sex offender database in conducting or causing to be conducted a local, state, and national criminal background check of the individual; and
prohibited a transportation network company from permitting an individual who is subject to the registration requirements under the program according to that DPS website to log in as a driver on the company's digital network.