Honorable Brian Birdwell, Chair, Senate Committee on Natural Resources
FROM:
Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:
SB1198 by Birdwell (relating to the designation of spaceports as critical
infrastructure facilities for purposes of criminal and civil
liability.), Committee Report 1st House, Substituted
The bill would expand the applicability of the offenses of damaging or destroying critical infrastructure facility, impairing or interrupting operation of critical infrastructure facility, intent to damage or destroy critical infrastructure facility, and intent to impair or interrupt operation of critical infrastructure facility to include when the setting was any property or facility that is used for the launch, landing, recovery, or testing of spacecraft.
Expanding the conduct constituting offenses may result in additional 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 2024, there were 9 arrests, no referrals, two placements onto adult community supervision, one individual admitted into an adult state correctional institution, and no individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional institution for the offenses of damaging or destroying critical infrastructure facility, impairing or interrupting operation of critical infrastructure facility, intent to damage or destroy critical infrastructure facility, and intent to impair or interrupt operation of 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.