Honorable Cole Hefner, Chair, House Committee on Homeland Security, Public Safety & Veterans' Affairs
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
HB127 by Wilson (Relating to measures to protect public institutions of higher education from foreign adversaries and to the prosecution of the criminal offense of theft of trade secrets; providing civil and administrative penalties; increasing a criminal penalty.), As Introduced
The bill would provide a penalty enhancement for the third degree felony offense of theft of trade secrets, making it punishable as a second degree felony when the theft is committed with intent to benefit a foreign agent, foreign government, or foreign instrumentality.
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 2024, there were two arrests, no referrals, one placement on adult community supervision, no individuals admitted into an adult state correctional institution, and no individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional institution for the offense of theft of trade secrets.
It is assumed that any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources would not be significant.