Honorable Abel Herrero, Chair, House Committee on Corrections
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB3075 by Kacal (Relating to the operation of an unmanned aircraft over a correctional facility or detention facility; creating a criminal offense.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
The bill would make it an offense punishable as a state jail felony to use an unmanned aircraft to provide contraband to a person in or otherwise introduce contraband into a correctional facility or detention center. Under existing statute, certain operation of an unmanned aircraft over a correctional facility, detention facility, or critical infrastructure facility is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor except that it is punishable as a Class A misdemeanor if the actor has been previously convicted of the offense.
Creating a new criminal offense may result in an increase in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement.
In fiscal year 2022, there were no individuals arrested, placed on community supervision, or admitted into a state correctional institution for the offense of operating an unmanned aircraft over a correctional facility, detention facility, or critical infrastructure facility. It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.