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Senate Bill 198 |
Senate Author: West |
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Effective: 9-1-11 |
House Sponsor: Smith, Todd |
Senate Bill 198 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to change the ages of the defendant and victim or intended victim that trigger the requirements that a judge in a trial of certain sexual offenses and a judge who places a defendant charged with a certain sexual offense on deferred adjudication community supervision make an affirmative finding regarding an age‑based offense and enter or file, as applicable, the finding in the judgment in the case. The bill revises the sexual offenses to which those requirements apply. Among other provisions, the bill changes the time at which a certain eligible young adult sex offender for whom a court has entered an affirmative finding regarding an age-based offense may petition the court for an order exempting the person from sex offender registration and revises the sexual offenses for which certain defendants may be exempt from registration. The bill authorizes a court hearing a petition for an order exempting a person from sex offender registration to consider certain victim testimony, the relationship between the victim and petitioner, and certain other evidence and revises the circumstances under which the court may issue the order.