The provisions of the bill addressing felony sanctions are the subject of this analysis. The bill would amend various codes as they relate to the operation and administration of and practice in and grants provided by courts in the judicial branch of state government. Under the provisions of the bill, a witness appearing before a master or magistrate is subject to the penalties of perjury. Perjury is currently punishable as a Class A misdemeanor and aggravated perjury is punishable as a third degree felony.

A third degree felony is punishable by confinement in prison for a term from 2 to 10 years and, in addition to confinement, an optional fine not to exceed $10,000. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of not more than $4,000, confinement in a county jail for a term not to exceed one year, or both. 

Expanding the circumstances of a criminal offense is expected to result in additional demands on the correctional resources of the counties or of the State due to either an increase in individuals placed or longer periods of time under community supervision, an increase in individuals sentenced to or longer terms of confinement within state correctional institutions, or placed under parole supervision. In fiscal year 2018, for aggravated perjury, 27 people were arrested, fewer than ten were placed under felony community supervision, and fewer than ten were admitted into a state correctional institution. This analysis assumes the provisions of the bill would not result in a significant impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources.