Honorable Briscoe Cain, Chair, House Committee on Elections
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB611 by Swanson (relating to the assistance of voters; creating a criminal offense.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Election Code to expand the oath a person selected to provide voter assistance must take and to create an offense if a person makes a false statement when making the oath or swears to the truth of a false statement previously made when making the oath. The offense would be a Class A misdemeanor except that the punishment for the offense would be a state jail felony if it were shown on the trial of the offense that the person made a false statement three or more times in connection with any election in a four-year period.
This analysis assumes that any costs associated with the bill could be absorbed using existing resources and that implementing the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions for criminal offenses would not result in a significant impact on state correctional agencies.
Local Government Impact
A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $4,000, confinement in jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both. Costs associated with enforcement, prosecution and confinement could likely be absorbed within existing resources. Revenue gain from fines imposed and collected is not anticipated to have a significant fiscal implication.