Fiscal Note for [Kansas] Senate Bill 229

February 27, 2001

The Honorable John Vratil, Chairperson
Senate Committee on Judiciary
Statehouse, Room 120-S
Topeka, Kansas 66612

Dear Senator Vratil:

SUBJECT: Fiscal Note for SB 229 by Senator Haley

In accordance with KSA 75-3715a, the following fiscal note concerning SB 229 is respectfully submitted to your committee.

SB 229 would add intentionally burning or intentionally causing serious physical injury to the crime of cruelty to animals. The bill also adds causing physical injury to the crime of animal cruelty even if the injury is unintentional. Intentionally killing, maiming, torturing, burning, or injuring an animal would be a non-person felony punishable by a fine up to $100 and imprisonment of 30 days to one year. Other acts of animal cruelty would remain Class A misdemeanors as specified in current law.

The Kansas Sentencing Commission estimates that passage of SB 229 would increase prison admissions. The bill creates a mandatory prison sentence that must be served at a Department of Corrections facility based on current law regarding crimes that are not included in the sentencing grid. The Commission could not estimate the number of additional admissions or the amount of bedspace that would be needed without more information on the number of people convicted under SB 229. Any fiscal effect resulting from passage of SB 229 would not be accounted for in The FY 2002 Governor’s Budget Report.Sincerely,

Duane A. Goossen
Director of the Budget

cc: Debra Duncan, Animal Health
Barbara Tombs, Sentencing Commission

The full text of SB 229 is available for viewing on the accesskansas.org website  (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader).

Click here to see it.

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