TO:	Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	HB1833 by Shaheen (Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for the offense of criminal mischief involving a public power supply.), As Engrossed

The bill would increase the penalty for the offense of criminal mischief from a state jail felony to a third degree felony in cases of certain conduct involving a public power supply when the amount of pecuniary loss is less than $30,000. 

Increasing the penalty for an existing offense may result in additional demands upon state correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals confined and in the length of stay for individuals sentenced to a term of confinement.

In fiscal year 2022, there were 77 individuals arrested, 7 individuals placed on adult community supervision, no individuals placed on juvenile community supervision, and 3 individuals admitted into an adult state correctional institution for the state jail felony offense of the criminal mischief involving certain public services or utilities with a pecuniary loss of less than $30,000. It is unknown how many of these cases specifically involved a public power supply. In fiscal year 2022, there were 4 individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional institution for felony offenses of criminal mischief, however the specific circumstances of the criminal mischief are unknown.