Senators Perfect Bill Raising Penalties for Damage to Telecom and Other Critical Systems

The Missouri Senate adopted a floor substitute and perfected Senate Bill 903, a measure the sponsor described as aimed at protecting telecommunications and other critical infrastructure from deliberate damage.

The sponsor, identified on the floor as the senator from Saint Francis (S4), said the bill expands the statutory definition of critical infrastructure to add wireline networks and broadband facilities and sets out a three-tier penalty structure tied to the value of damage. "This is, mister president, this is the critical infrastructure protection bill," the sponsor said, explaining that the measure was revised with compromise language after committee work.

Under language the sponsor explained on the floor, knowingly damaging or removing components of specified facilities would trigger criminal penalties scaled by the dollar value of the loss. The bill also provides that any damage that causes interruptions or degradation of service would be punished as a more serious felony regardless of the dollar value, and authorizes restitution and community service.

Senators asked how the bill would avoid ensnaring legitimate recyclers and small scrappers; the sponsor said the text narrows liability to people who "purposely, willfully and maliciously damage" infrastructure and includes knowledge-based provisions so that possession of materials obtained illegally would be penalized only when the possessor knew or should have known the items were stolen.

Floor debate included exchanges about the importance of protecting 911 services and health-care connectivity. A voice vote adopted the Senate committee substitute and later perfected the substitute; the Senate then ordered the bill printed.

The committee on rules later reported SB 903 had been "truly perfected" and that printed copies were correct.

What happens next: The bill was perfected on the floor and ordered printed; subsequent steps will follow the Legislatures normal process for perfected Senate bills.