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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to offenses involving violating the civil rights of a |
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person in custody and engaging in improper sexual activity with a |
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person in custody; providing certain enhanced penalties. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 39.04, Penal Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsections (b) and (c) and adding Subsections (b-1), |
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(c-1), and (c-2) to read as follows: |
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(b) An offense under Subsection (a)(1) is a Class A |
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misdemeanor. An offense under Subsection (a)(2) is a state jail |
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felony, except that an offense under Subsection (a)(2) is: |
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(1) a felony of the second degree if the offense is |
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committed against: |
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(A) [(1)] an individual in the custody of the |
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Texas Juvenile Justice Department [Youth Commission]; or |
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(B) [(2)] a juvenile offender detained in or |
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committed to a correctional facility the operation of which is |
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financed primarily with state funds; or |
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(2) a felony of the first degree if, during a period |
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that is 30 or more days in duration and regardless of whether the |
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conduct involves one or more victims, the person on two or more |
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occasions engages in conduct constituting an offense under |
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Subsection (a)(2) against: |
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(A) an individual in the custody of the Texas |
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Juvenile Justice Department; or |
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(B) a juvenile offender detained in or committed |
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to a correctional facility the operation of which is financed |
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primarily with state funds. |
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(b-1) If a jury is the trier of fact in a case in which the |
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state seeks to establish punishment under Subsection (b)(2), |
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members of the jury are not required to agree unanimously on which |
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specific conduct engaged in by the defendant constituted an offense |
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under Subsection (a)(2) or on which exact date or dates that conduct |
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occurred. The jury must agree unanimously that the defendant, |
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during a period that is 30 or more days in duration, on two or more |
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occasions engaged in conduct that constituted an offense under |
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Subsection (a)(2). |
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(c) This section shall not preclude prosecution for any |
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other offense set out in this code. If conduct constituting an |
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offense under this section also constitutes an offense under |
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another section of this code, the actor may be prosecuted under |
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either section or under both sections. |
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(c-1) A defendant may not be convicted in the same criminal |
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action of another offense the victim of which is an alleged victim |
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of an offense under Subsection (a)(2) for which the state seeks to |
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establish punishment under Subsection (b)(2), and an element of |
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which is any act or conduct that is alleged as an element of the |
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offense under Subsection (a)(2) for which the state seeks to |
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establish punishment under Subsection (b)(2), unless the other |
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offense: |
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(1) is charged in the alternative; |
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(2) occurred outside the period in which the offense |
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under Subsection (a)(2) is alleged to have occurred; or |
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(3) is considered by the trier of fact to be a lesser |
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included offense of the offense under Subsection (a)(2). |
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(c-2) A defendant may not be charged with more than one |
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count alleging the commission of an offense under Subsection (a)(2) |
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for which the state seeks to establish punishment under Subsection |
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(b)(2) if all of the specific conduct that is alleged to have been |
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engaged in involves a single victim. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |