Senate Bill 96
INCREASED PENALTIES FOR THREATS AGAINST SCHOOLS
Description: SB 96 would create a new suboffense under 18 § 2706 to make any threat against a school or institution of higher education a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 7 years in prison and $15,000 in fines. Additionally, SB 96 would expand what costs can be assessed for the purposes of restitution. These costs would be not only excessive, but would also be imposed on juveniles.
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Under current law, if a "terroristic threat" is made to an entity that "causes the occupants of the building, place of assembly or facility of public transportation to be diverted from their normal or customary operations," the offense is graded as a third-degree felony, including threats against schools.
SB 96 would make any threat against a school or institution of higher education a third-degree felony, punishable by up to 7 years in prison and $15,000 in fines. This is not only a broad expansion of the offense definition, but it is unnecessary and likely redundant, since threats to schools would presumably be made at a time when people would be "diverted from their normal operations" and would therefore be already chargeable as third-degree felony offenses.
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