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House Bill 10 |
House Author: Thompson, Senfronia et al. |
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Effective: 9-1-15 |
Senate Sponsor: Huffman et al. |
House Bill 10 amends provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Education Code, Government Code, and Penal Code relating to trafficking of persons and compelling prostitution. The bill removes the statute of limitations on compelling prostitution of a child younger than 18 years of age. The bill expands the offense of prostitution conduct for which the penalty is enhanced to a second degree felony to include conduct in which the person solicited is represented to the actor as being, or believed by the actor to be, younger than 18 years of age. The bill makes a prostitution offense punishable as a second degree felony a "reportable conviction or adjudication" for purposes of sex offender registration. The bill authorizes a prosecutor to compel a party to a trafficking of persons offense to provide evidence or testify about the offense in exchange for immunity from prosecution.
House Bill 10 allows a claimant or victim of child trafficking to be compensated from the Texas crime victims' compensation fund notwithstanding the claimant's or victim's knowing and willing participation in the criminally injurious conduct and allows a claimant or victim of other human trafficking to be compensated if the criminally injurious conduct was the result of force, fraud, or coercion. The bill requires the judicial training provided by the Supreme Court of Texas and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to include information about human trafficking and requires the Texas Education Agency to develop policies on reporting child trafficking.
House Bill 10 continues the Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force established by the attorney general, expands its membership, and revises its duties. The bill requires certain state agencies to designate an individual, and notify the task force of the designated individual, who is authorized to coordinate the agency's resources to strengthen state and local efforts to prevent human trafficking, protect and assist trafficking victims, and investigate and prosecute trafficking offenders. The bill also creates the Child Sex Trafficking Prevention Unit within the criminal justice division of the governor's office and sets out its duties.