Bill Text: TX SB722 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Relating to the prosecution of the offenses of trafficking of persons and compelling prostitution and to certain consequences of compelling prostitution.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2023-03-01 - Referred to Criminal Justice [SB722 Detail]

Download: Texas-2023-SB722-Introduced.html

---

88R2387 LHC-D
By: Springer S.B. No. 722

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the prosecution of the offenses of trafficking of
persons and compelling prostitution and to certain consequences of
compelling prostitution.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 20A.01, Penal Code, is amended by
amending Subdivisions (2-a) and (2-b) and adding Subdivision (2-c)
to read as follows:
(2-a) "Person with a disability" means a person who,
as a result of mental disease or defect, is incapable of appraising
the nature of prohibited conduct or to resist engaging in that
conduct.
(2-b) "Premises" has the meaning assigned by Section
481.134, Health and Safety Code.
(2-c) [(2-b)] "School" means a public or private
primary or secondary school.
SECTION 2. Section 20A.02(a), Penal Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:
(1) traffics another person with the intent that the
trafficked person engage in forced labor or services;
(2) receives a benefit from participating in a venture
that involves an activity described by Subdivision (1), including
by receiving labor or services the person knows are forced labor or
services;
(3) traffics:
(A) another person and, through force, fraud, or
coercion, causes the trafficked person to engage in conduct
prohibited by:
(i) [(A)] Section 43.02 (Prostitution);
(ii) [(B)] Section 43.03 (Promotion of
Prostitution);
(iii) [(B-1)] Section 43.031 (Online
Promotion of Prostitution);
(iv) [(C)] Section 43.04 (Aggravated
Promotion of Prostitution);
(v) [(C-1)] Section 43.041 (Aggravated
Online Promotion of Prostitution); or
(vi) [(D)] Section 43.05 (Compelling
Prostitution); or
(B) a person with a disability and by any means
causes the trafficked person to engage in conduct prohibited by an
offense listed under Paragraph (A);
(4) receives a benefit from participating in a venture
that involves an activity described by Subdivision (3) or engages
in sexual conduct with a person trafficked in the manner described
in Subdivision (3), regardless of whether the actor knows that the
person has been trafficked in the manner described by that
subdivision;
(5) traffics a child with the intent that the
trafficked child engage in forced labor or services;
(6) receives a benefit from participating in a venture
that involves an activity described by Subdivision (5), including
by receiving labor or services the person knows are forced labor or
services;
(7) traffics a child and by any means causes the
trafficked child to engage in, or become the victim of, conduct
prohibited by:
(A) Section 21.02 (Continuous Sexual Abuse of
Young Child or Disabled Individual);
(B) Section 21.11 (Indecency with a Child);
(C) Section 22.011 (Sexual Assault);
(D) Section 22.021 (Aggravated Sexual Assault);
(E) Section 43.02 (Prostitution);
(E-1) Section 43.021 (Solicitation of
Prostitution);
(F) Section 43.03 (Promotion of Prostitution);
(F-1) Section 43.031 (Online Promotion of
Prostitution);
(G) Section 43.04 (Aggravated Promotion of
Prostitution);
(G-1) Section 43.041 (Aggravated Online
Promotion of Prostitution);
(H) Section 43.05 (Compelling Prostitution);
(I) Section 43.25 (Sexual Performance by a
Child);
(J) Section 43.251 (Employment Harmful to
Children); or
(K) Section 43.26 (Possession or Promotion of
Child Pornography); or
(8) receives a benefit from participating in a venture
that involves an activity described by Subdivision (7) or engages
in sexual conduct with a child trafficked in the manner described in
Subdivision (7), regardless of whether the actor knows that the
child has been trafficked in the manner described by that
subdivision.
SECTION 3. Section 43.05(a), Penal Code, is amended to read
as follows:
(a) A person commits an offense if the person knowingly:
(1) causes another by force, threat, coercion, or
fraud to commit prostitution; [or]
(2) causes by any means a child younger than 18 years
to commit prostitution, regardless of whether the actor knows the
age of the child at the time of the offense; or
(3) causes by any means a person with a disability, as
defined by Section 20A.01, to commit prostitution, regardless of
whether the actor knows the person is disabled at the time of the
offense.
SECTION 4. Section 16.0045(a), Civil Practice and Remedies
Code, is amended to read as follows:
(a) A person must bring suit for personal injury not later
than 30 years after the day the cause of action accrues if the
injury arises as a result of conduct that violates:
(1) Section 22.011(a)(2), Penal Code (sexual assault
of a child);
(2) Section 22.021(a)(1)(B), Penal Code (aggravated
sexual assault of a child);
(3) Section 21.02, Penal Code (continuous sexual abuse
of young child or disabled individual);
(4) Section 20A.02(a)(7)(A), (B), (C), (D), or (H) or
Section 20A.02(a)(8), Penal Code, involving an activity described
by Section 20A.02(a)(7)(A), (B), (C), (D), or (H) or sexual conduct
with a child trafficked in the manner described by Section
20A.02(a)(7), Penal Code (certain sexual trafficking of a child);
(5) Section 43.05(a)(2) or (3), Penal Code (compelling
prostitution by a child or a person with a disability); or
(6) Section 21.11, Penal Code (indecency with a
child).
SECTION 5. Article 12.01, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
amended to read as follows:
Art. 12.01. FELONIES. Except as provided in Article 12.03,
felony indictments may be presented within these limits, and not
afterward:
(1) no limitation:
(A) murder and manslaughter;
(B) sexual assault under Section 22.011(a)(2),
Penal Code, or aggravated sexual assault under Section
22.021(a)(1)(B), Penal Code;
(C) sexual assault, if:
(i) during the investigation of the offense
biological matter is collected and the matter:
(a) has not yet been subjected to
forensic DNA testing; or
(b) has been subjected to forensic DNA
testing and the testing results show that the matter does not match
the victim or any other person whose identity is readily
ascertained; or
(ii) probable cause exists to believe that
the defendant has committed the same or a similar sex offense
against five or more victims;
(D) continuous sexual abuse of young child or
disabled individual under Section 21.02, Penal Code;
(E) indecency with a child under Section 21.11,
Penal Code;
(F) an offense involving leaving the scene of an
accident under Section 550.021, Transportation Code, if the
accident resulted in the death of a person;
(G) trafficking of persons under Section
20A.02(a)(7) or (8), Penal Code;
(H) continuous trafficking of persons under
Section 20A.03, Penal Code; or
(I) compelling prostitution under Section
43.05(a)(2) or (3), Penal Code;
(2) ten years from the date of the commission of the
offense:
(A) theft of any estate, real, personal or mixed,
by an executor, administrator, guardian or trustee, with intent to
defraud any creditor, heir, legatee, ward, distributee,
beneficiary or settlor of a trust interested in such estate;
(B) theft by a public servant of government
property over which the public servant exercises control in the
public servant's official capacity;
(C) forgery or the uttering, using or passing of
forged instruments;
(D) injury to an elderly or disabled individual
punishable as a felony of the first degree under Section 22.04,
Penal Code;
(E) sexual assault, except as provided by
Subdivision (1) or (7);
(F) arson;
(G) trafficking of persons under Section
20A.02(a)(1), (2), (3), or (4), Penal Code; or
(H) compelling prostitution under Section
43.05(a)(1), Penal Code;
(3) seven years from the date of the commission of the
offense:
(A) misapplication of fiduciary property or
property of a financial institution;
(B) fraudulent securing of document execution;
(C) a felony violation under Chapter 162, Tax
Code;
(D) false statement to obtain property or credit
under Section 32.32, Penal Code;
(E) money laundering;
(F) credit card or debit card abuse under Section
32.31, Penal Code;
(G) fraudulent use or possession of identifying
information under Section 32.51, Penal Code;
(H) exploitation of a child, elderly individual,
or disabled individual under Section 32.53, Penal Code;
(I) health care fraud under Section 35A.02, Penal
Code; or
(J) bigamy under Section 25.01, Penal Code,
except as provided by Subdivision (6);
(4) five years from the date of the commission of the
offense:
(A) theft or robbery;
(B) except as provided by Subdivision (5),
kidnapping or burglary;
(C) injury to an elderly or disabled individual
that is not punishable as a felony of the first degree under Section
22.04, Penal Code;
(D) abandoning or endangering a child; or
(E) insurance fraud;
(5) if the investigation of the offense shows that the
victim is younger than 17 years of age at the time the offense is
committed, 20 years from the 18th birthday of the victim of one of
the following offenses:
(A) sexual performance by a child under Section
43.25, Penal Code;
(B) aggravated kidnapping under Section
20.04(a)(4), Penal Code, if the defendant committed the offense
with the intent to violate or abuse the victim sexually; or
(C) burglary under Section 30.02, Penal Code, if
the offense is punishable under Subsection (d) of that section and
the defendant committed the offense with the intent to commit an
offense described by Subdivision (1)(B) or (D) of this article or
Paragraph (B) of this subdivision;
(6) ten years from the 18th birthday of the victim of
the offense:
(A) trafficking of persons under Section
20A.02(a)(5) or (6), Penal Code;
(B) injury to a child under Section 22.04, Penal
Code; or
(C) bigamy under Section 25.01, Penal Code, if
the investigation of the offense shows that the person, other than
the legal spouse of the defendant, whom the defendant marries or
purports to marry or with whom the defendant lives under the
appearance of being married is younger than 18 years of age at the
time the offense is committed;
(7) two years from the date the offense was
discovered: sexual assault punishable as a state jail felony under
Section 22.011(f)(2), Penal Code; or
(8) three years from the date of the commission of the
offense: all other felonies.
SECTION 6. Article 62.101(a), Code of Criminal Procedure,
is amended to read as follows:
(a) Except as provided by Subsection (b) and Subchapter I,
the duty to register for a person ends when the person dies if the
person has a reportable conviction or adjudication, other than an
adjudication of delinquent conduct, for:
(1) a sexually violent offense;
(2) an offense under Section 20A.02(a)(3), (4), (7),
or (8), 25.02, 43.05(a)(2) or (3), or 43.26, Penal Code;
(3) an offense under Section 20A.03, Penal Code, if
based partly or wholly on conduct that constitutes an offense under
Section 20A.02(a)(3), (4), (7), or (8) of that code;
(4) an offense under Section 21.11(a)(2), Penal Code,
if before or after the person is convicted or adjudicated for the
offense under Section 21.11(a)(2), Penal Code, the person receives
or has received another reportable conviction or adjudication,
other than an adjudication of delinquent conduct, for an offense or
conduct that requires registration under this chapter;
(5) an offense under Section 20.02, 20.03, or 20.04,
Penal Code, if:
(A) the judgment in the case contains an
affirmative finding under Article 42.015 or, for a deferred
adjudication, the papers in the case contain an affirmative finding
that the victim or intended victim was younger than 17 years of age;
and
(B) before or after the person is convicted or
adjudicated for the offense under Section 20.02, 20.03, or 20.04,
Penal Code, the person receives or has received another reportable
conviction or adjudication, other than an adjudication of
delinquent conduct, for an offense or conduct that requires
registration under this chapter; or
(6) an offense under Section 43.23, Penal Code, that
is punishable under Subsection (h) of that section.
SECTION 7. 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 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.