Bill Text: TX HB1509 | 2025-2026 | 89th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to the offense of failure to stop or report aggravated sexual assault of a child; increasing a criminal penalty.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2024-12-04 - Filed [HB1509 Detail]
Download: Texas-2025-HB1509-Introduced.html
By: Hickland | H.B. No. 1509 |
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relating to the offense of failure to stop or report aggravated | ||
sexual assault of a child; increasing a criminal penalty. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. This Act may be cited as Shannah's Law. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 38.17, Penal Code, is amended to read as | ||
follows: | ||
Sec. 38.17. FAILURE TO STOP OR REPORT AGGRAVATED SEXUAL | ||
ASSAULT OF CHILD. (a) A person [ |
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an offense if: | ||
(1) the actor observes the commission or attempted | ||
commission of an offense prohibited by Section 21.02 or | ||
22.021(a)(2)(B) under circumstances in which a reasonable person | ||
would believe that an offense of a sexual or assaultive nature was | ||
being committed or was about to be committed against the child; | ||
(2) the actor fails to assist the child or immediately | ||
report the commission of the offense to a peace officer or law | ||
enforcement agency; and | ||
(3) the actor could assist the child or immediately | ||
report the commission of the offense without placing the actor in | ||
danger of suffering serious bodily injury or death. | ||
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third | ||
degree [ |
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(c) If conduct that constitutes an offense under this | ||
section also constitutes an offense under any other law, the actor | ||
may be prosecuted under this section, the other law, or both. | ||
SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only | ||
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. | ||
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is | ||
governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, | ||
and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For | ||
purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the | ||
effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred | ||
before that date. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |