BILL ANALYSIS H.B. 503 By: Tepper Intergovernmental Affairs Committee Report (Unamended) BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The 88th Texas Legislature passed S.B. 22, which established grant programs to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff's offices, constable's offices, and prosecutor's offices in counties with populations of 300,000 or less. The author has informed the committee that law enforcement officials in Lubbock County have expressed their desire to receive funding from the grant programs. However, according to the 2024 Regional Report by the comptroller of public accounts, Lubbock County's population was approximately 317,000 in 2022, making the county ineligible for those grants. H.B. 503 seeks to address this issue by making certain counties with a population between 300,000 and 400,000 eligible to receive funding from the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program and the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program. 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 H.B. 503 amends the Local Government Code to raise the maximum population threshold at which a county is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller of public accounts under the program as follows: changes the population for which a county receives $500,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and establishes that a county with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $650,000. H.B. 503 raises the maximum population threshold at which a jurisdiction in which the office of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney with criminal prosecution duties is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller under the program as follows: changes the population of a jurisdiction for which an applicable prosecutor's office receives $275,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and establishes that a prosecutor's office in a jurisdiction with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $375,000. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.
BILL ANALYSIS
# BILL ANALYSIS
H.B. 503
By: Tepper
Intergovernmental Affairs
Committee Report (Unamended)
H.B. 503
By: Tepper
Intergovernmental Affairs
Committee Report (Unamended)
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The 88th Texas Legislature passed S.B. 22, which established grant programs to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff's offices, constable's offices, and prosecutor's offices in counties with populations of 300,000 or less. The author has informed the committee that law enforcement officials in Lubbock County have expressed their desire to receive funding from the grant programs. However, according to the 2024 Regional Report by the comptroller of public accounts, Lubbock County's population was approximately 317,000 in 2022, making the county ineligible for those grants. H.B. 503 seeks to address this issue by making certain counties with a population between 300,000 and 400,000 eligible to receive funding from the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program and the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program.
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 H.B. 503 amends the Local Government Code to raise the maximum population threshold at which a county is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller of public accounts under the program as follows: changes the population for which a county receives $500,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and establishes that a county with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $650,000. H.B. 503 raises the maximum population threshold at which a jurisdiction in which the office of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney with criminal prosecution duties is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller under the program as follows: changes the population of a jurisdiction for which an applicable prosecutor's office receives $275,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and establishes that a prosecutor's office in a jurisdiction with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $375,000.
EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The 88th Texas Legislature passed S.B. 22, which established grant programs to provide financial assistance to qualified sheriff's offices, constable's offices, and prosecutor's offices in counties with populations of 300,000 or less. The author has informed the committee that law enforcement officials in Lubbock County have expressed their desire to receive funding from the grant programs. However, according to the 2024 Regional Report by the comptroller of public accounts, Lubbock County's population was approximately 317,000 in 2022, making the county ineligible for those grants. H.B. 503 seeks to address this issue by making certain counties with a population between 300,000 and 400,000 eligible to receive funding from the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program and the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program.
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
H.B. 503 amends the Local Government Code to raise the maximum population threshold at which a county is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural sheriff's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller of public accounts under the program as follows:
changes the population for which a county receives $500,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and
establishes that a county with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $650,000.
H.B. 503 raises the maximum population threshold at which a jurisdiction in which the office of a district attorney, criminal district attorney, or county attorney with criminal prosecution duties is eligible to receive financial assistance under the rural prosecutor's office salary assistance grant program from 300,000 to 400,000. The bill revises provisions relating to the applicable grant amounts awarded by the comptroller under the program as follows:
changes the population of a jurisdiction for which an applicable prosecutor's office receives $275,000 from 50,000 or more and 300,000 or less to 50,000 or more and less than 300,000; and
establishes that a prosecutor's office in a jurisdiction with a population of 300,000 or more and 400,000 or less receives $375,000.
EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2025.