Relating to increasing the criminal penalties for forgery.

Contracts

• Employment Agreements: Review "Termination for Cause" clauses. Many agreements define "Cause" as the commission of a felony. SB1379 lowers the threshold for a felony conviction (e.g., forging a commercial instrument is now a 3rd Degree Felony, previously a State Jail Felony), effectively broadening your contractual right to terminate immediately without severance.
• Vendor Indemnification: Update vendor contracts to explicitly indemnify your organization against losses resulting from criminal misconduct, specifically citing the new felony classifications for forgery.

Hiring/Training

• HR & Management Training: Train HR managers that an accusation of forgery is now a weightier legal matter. Mishandling an accusation of a 2nd or 3rd Degree Felony increases liability for defamation or wrongful termination suits.
• Internal Investigations: Upgrade training for Loss Prevention and Internal Audit teams. Evidence collection for suspected fraud must now meet felony-level chain-of-custody standards to be viable for prosecution.

Reporting & Record-Keeping

• Digital Audit Trails: Ensure digital contracting platforms (e.g., DocuSign, Adobe Sign) maintain unalterable audit logs. You must be able to prove *who* signed a document to support a felony forgery claim.
• Original Document Retention: For commercial instruments (deeds, promissory notes, contracts), enforce strict policies on retaining original "wet ink" documents. In a felony trial, the "Best Evidence Rule" will be scrutinized heavily by defense counsel facing steeper prison terms.

Fees & Costs

• Insurance Premiums: Consult your broker regarding Fidelity Bonds and Crime Insurance. Underwriters may adjust risk profiles or require stricter internal controls due to the increased severity of the crime classification.
• Restitution Leverage: Prepare legal teams to quantify losses accurately. The threat of higher felony prison time increases your leverage to demand full financial restitution during plea negotiations.