The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend sections of the Penal Code as it relates to the creation of the offense of bestiality. Under the provisions of the bill, bestiality would be punishable as a state jail felony or felony of the second degree depending on the specific circumstances of the offense.

A second-degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 20 years and a state jail felony is punishable by confinement in a state jail for a term from 180 days to 2 years or Class A misdemeanor punishment. In addition to confinement, all felony level offenses are subject to an optional fine not to exceed $10,000.

Expanding the list of behaviors for which a criminal penalty is applied is expected to result in increased demands upon the correctional resources of counties or of the State due to longer terms of supervision in the community or longer terms of confinement in state correctional institutions. However, this analysis assumes the provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions would not result in a significant impact on the demand for state correctional resources.