Bill Text: TX SB947 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to creating a criminal offense for damaging certain critical infrastructure facilities and providing for the prosecution of that conduct as manslaughter in certain circumstances; increasing a criminal penalty.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-18 - Effective on 9/1/23 [SB947 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB947-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to creating a criminal offense for damaging certain critical infrastructure facilities and providing for the prosecution of that conduct as manslaughter in certain circumstances; increasing a criminal penalty.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Passed) 2023-06-18 - Effective on 9/1/23 [SB947 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-SB947-Introduced.html
88R9089 MZM-F | ||
By: King | S.B. No. 947 |
|
||
|
||
relating to creating a criminal offense for damaging certain | ||
critical infrastructure facilities and providing for the | ||
prosecution of that conduct as manslaughter in certain | ||
circumstances; increasing a criminal penalty. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 19.04(b), Penal Code, is amended to read | ||
as follows: | ||
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the second | ||
degree, except that the offense is a felony of the first degree if | ||
it is shown on the trial of the offense that the defendant committed | ||
an offense under Section 28.09 and that conduct caused the death of | ||
an individual. | ||
SECTION 2. Chapter 28, Penal Code, is amended by adding | ||
Section 28.09 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 28.09. DAMAGING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITY. (a) | ||
In this section: | ||
(1) "Critical infrastructure facility" means an | ||
electrical power generating facility, substation, switching | ||
station, electrical control center, or electrical transmission or | ||
distribution facility. | ||
(2) "Explosive weapon" has the meaning assigned by | ||
Section 28.03. | ||
(3) "Extended power outage" means a power outage | ||
lasting for more than 24 hours. | ||
(4) "Firearm" has the meaning assigned by Section | ||
46.01. | ||
(b) A person commits an offense if, without the effective | ||
consent of the owner or operator of a critical infrastructure | ||
facility, the person: | ||
(1) intentionally or knowingly damages, destroys, | ||
vandalizes, or impairs the function of any critical infrastructure | ||
facility; and | ||
(2) as a result of the conduct described by | ||
Subdivision (1), causes an extended power outage. | ||
(c) An offense under this section is a felony of the second | ||
degree, except that the offense is a felony of the first degree if: | ||
(1) the amount of pecuniary damage to the critical | ||
infrastructure facility is $100,000 or more; or | ||
(2) the actor uses a firearm or explosive weapon in the | ||
commission of the offense. | ||
(d) 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, 2023. |