By: Hunter (Senate Sponsor - Huffman) H.B. No. 3521
         (In the Senate - Received from the House May 12, 2021;
  May 12, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on
  Jurisprudence; May 21, 2021, reported favorably by the following
  vote:  Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 21, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
 
  relating to the definition of coercion for purposes of trafficking
  of persons.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 20A.01, Penal Code, is amended by adding
  Subdivision (1-a) to read as follows:
               (1-a)  "Coercion" as defined by Section 1.07 includes:
                     (A)  destroying, concealing, confiscating, or
  withholding from a trafficked person, or threatening to destroy,
  conceal, confiscate, or withhold from a trafficked person, the
  person's actual or purported:
                           (i)  government records; or
                           (ii)  identifying information or documents;
                     (B)  causing a trafficked person, without the
  person's consent, to become intoxicated, as defined by Section
  49.01, to a degree that impairs the person's ability to appraise the
  nature of or resist engaging in any conduct, including performing
  or providing labor or services; or
                     (C)  withholding alcohol or a controlled
  substance to a degree that impairs the ability of a trafficked
  person with a chemical dependency, as defined by Section 462.001,
  Health and Safety Code, to appraise the nature of or resist engaging
  in any conduct, including performing or providing labor or
  services.
         SECTION 2.  Section 20A.02(a-1), Penal Code, is repealed.
         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, 2021.
 
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