The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend the Penal Code as it relates to the carrying of knives. Under the provisions of the bill, certain knives would no longer be considered weapons and certain knife-related behaviors would no longer be considered weapons-related offenses.

Removing certain elements that constitute a criminal offense is expected to result in decreased demands upon the correctional resources of the state due to fewer people potentially placed under felony community supervision or admitted into state correctional institutions. In fiscal year 2014, 1,196 people were arrested, 107 were placed on felony community supervision and 125 were admitted to correctional institutions for weapons-related offenses. Statewide data are not available to indicate which weapons-related offenses involved an illegal knife and would be subject to the bill's provisions. This analysis assumes this provision of the bill would not significantly impact state correctional populations, programs, or workloads.