BLIGHT OFFENDERS H.B. 4332 (S-1):
SUMMARY OF BILL
ON THIRD READING
House Bill 4332 (Substitute S-1 as reported by the Committee of the Whole)
Sponsor: Representative Karen Whitsett
House Committee: Local Government and Municipal Finance
Senate Committee: Housing and Human Services
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Home Rule City Act to prescribe a misdemeanor penalty punishable by a maximum of 90 days' imprisonment or a maximum fine of $500, or both, for a failure to correct a blight violation within 30 days of a final order finding the person in violation.
BRIEF RATIONALE
The Act prescribes certain civil fines and criminal penalties for blight violations, which may be violations of ordinances related to property maintenance or illegal dumping, among others. According to testimony before the Senate Committee on Housing and Human Services, some property owners opt to pay repeated blight violation fines instead of paying to remediate the issue. It has been suggested that penalties be created for repeated blight violations.
PREVIOUS LEGISLATION
(This section does not provide a comprehensive account of previous legislative efforts on this subject matter.)
The bill is similar to House Bill 5650 of the 2021-2022 Legislative Session.
Legislative Analyst: Eleni Lionas
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill could have an indeterminate negative fiscal impact and an indeterminate positive fiscal impact on the State and local governments. New misdemeanor arrests and convictions under the bill could increase resource demands on law enforcement, court systems, community supervision, and jails; however, it is unknown how many people would be prosecuted under provisions of the bill. Local jail costs vary by jurisdiction and thus costs for local governments would vary. Local revenue to local libraries could increase under the bill as any additional revenue from imposed fines would go to local libraries.
Joe Carrasco, Jr.
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.