Judiciary committee advances bill creating criminal penalty for interference with critical infrastructure

The Judiciary Committee on Feb. 20 voted to advance House Bill 593, which creates criminal liability for interference with critical infrastructure or public safety answering points and includes a maximum fine provision. Committee members heard that the measure is largely a reintroduction of last year’s House Bill 70, with a new statutory definition of "critical infrastructure."

“This is basically a reintroduction of House Bill 70 from 2024 which passed the House but was not acted on by the Senate,” Claire said, noting the draft adds a definition of critical infrastructure and updates statutory language. Several members pressed the committee on penalty levels. “I just wanted to indicate that I think $50,000 fine, maximum $50,000 fine is very high,” Delegate Cardin said during discussion, while others argued the penalty could be appropriate for organized or sophisticated actors whose actions cause bodily injury or economic harm.

The committee debated whether to pursue emergency status for the bill; counsel and the chair advised against an emergency designation because the measure creates criminal penalties and agencies would need time to implement the law. After a motion to move the previous question, the committee called the roll; the chair announced the motion carried and reported the bill will go to the floor.

The committee recorded the outcome as advancing HB 593 to the floor for further action.