Honorable Sid Miller, Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security & Public Safety
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB595 by Raymond (Relating to the punishment prescribed for false identification as a peace officer.), As Introduced
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Penal Code related to the punishment for false identification as a peace officer. The bill would enhance the penalty for this offense from a Class B misdemeanor to a third-degree felony if the individual committed the offense with the intent to commit another felony. The bill would take effect on September 1, 2011, and would apply to offenses committed on or after that date.
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. For this analysis, it is assumed the number of offenders convicted under this statute would not result in a significant impact on the programs and workload of State corrections agencies or on the demand for resources and services of those agencies.
Local Government Impact
The bill would amend the Penal Code related to the punishment for false identification as a peace officer. The bill would enhance the penalty for this offense from a Class B misdemeanor to a third-degree felony if the individual committed the offense with the intent to commit another felony. Fiscal impact would vary by number of convictions but is not anticipated to be significant.