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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to increasing the criminal penalty for election fraud. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 276.013(b), Election Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(b) An offense under this section is a state jail felony |
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[Class A misdemeanor, unless: |
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[(1) the person committed the offense while acting in |
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the person's capacity as an elected official, in which case the |
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offense is a state jail felony; or |
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[(2) the person is convicted of an attempt, in which |
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case the offense is a Class B misdemeanor]. |
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SECTION 2. The changes in law made by this Act apply only to |
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an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed |
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by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the |
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former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of |
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this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of |
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this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |