Honorable Bryan Hughes, Chair, Senate Committee on State Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB599 by Birdwell (Relating to the carrying or possession of a handgun by a district clerk and the issuance of a handgun license to a district clerk.), As Introduced
The bill would add a district clerk licensed to carry a handgun to the list of individuals to which the criminal offenses of unlawful carrying of a weapon and carrying a weapon at certain places do not apply.
Exempting certain individuals from the applicability of an existing criminal offense may result in a decrease in demands upon state and local correctional resources due to a possible decrease in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement. In fiscal year 2022, there were 1,779 individuals arrested, 137 individuals placed on community supervision, and 57 individuals admitted into a state correctional institution for felony offenses of unlawful carrying of a weapon or carrying a weapon at certain places. It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.