| TO: | Honorable Dan Patrick, Lieutenant Governor, Senate Honorable Dennis Bonnen, Speaker of the House, House of Representatives |
| FROM: | John McGeady, Assistant Director Sarah Keyton, Assistant Director Legislative Budget Board |
| IN RE: | HB3557 by Paddie (Relating to civil and criminal liability for engaging in certain conduct involving a critical infrastructure facility; creating criminal offenses.), Conference Committee Report |
The probable fiscal impact of implementing the bill is indeterminate due to the lack of data or information available on the number of times a person damaged or destroyed, impaired or interrupted, intended to damage or destroy, or intended to impair or interrupt the operations of a critical infrastructure facility. These data are necessary to estimate the fiscal impact of the bill's provisions.
The bill would amend the Government Code as it relates to the civil and criminal liability for engaging in certain conduct involving a critical infrastructure facility. Under the provisions of the bills engaging in certain behaviors involving a critical infrastructure facility would be punishable at the misdemeanor and felony level with the punishment based on the specific circumstances of the offense. The bill would also require courts to sentence corporations and associations adjudged guilty of these offenses to pay a fine.
Creating a criminal offense is expected to result in additional 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 within state correctional institutions. The bill may have a negative fiscal impact by increasing the number of people under felony community supervision or incarcerated within state correctional institutions. Whether the bill would result in a significant fiscal impact is indeterminate due to the lack of information on the number of times a person committed these actions against a critical infrastructure facility. According to the Comptroller on Public Accounts, the fiscal impact to the state cannot be estimated. The Office of Court Administration indicates the modifications outlined in the bill's provisions will not result in a significant fiscal impact to the state court system.
| Source Agencies: | 304 Comptroller of Public Accounts, 696 Department of Criminal Justice, 212 Office of Court Administration, Texas Judicial Council
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| LBB Staff: | WP, SPa, SZ, MW, DA, SLE, LM, LCO
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