Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:
John S O'Brien, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB1666 by Castro (Relating to the prosecution of the offense of online impersonation.), As Engrossed
No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.
The bill would amend the Penal Code to change the offense of Online Harassment to Online Impersonation. Under the provisions of the bill, certain online activities (creating a web page or posting/sending messages) in which a person uses the name or persona of another without that person's consent to engage in certain behaviors would be separated into subsections. At present both behaviors are punishable as a third degree felony and would remain so under the provisions of the bill.
The bill would take effect on September 1, 2011 and apply to offenses committed on or after that date.
For this analysis it is assumed that 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
No significant fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.