The bill would amend the Penal Code by enhancing the punishment for the offense of terroristic threat from a Class A misdemeanor to a state jail felony if the actor causes a pecuniary loss of $1,500 or more to the owner of the building, room, place, or conveyance, where the offense was committed. 

A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by confinement in county jail for a term not to exceed one year, a fine not to exceed $4,000, or both fine and imprisonment.

A state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for any term of not more than two years or less than 180 days, or, in addition to confinement, a fine not to exceed $10,000.

Increasing the penalty for any criminal offense is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to longer terms of probation, or, longer terms of confinement in county jails or prison. When an offense is changed from a misdemeanor to a felony, there is a transfer of the burden of confinement of convicted offenders from the counties to the State. In the case of this bill, the increased workload and demand for resources would probably not be substantial.