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Senate Bill 357 |
Senate Author: Hinojosa |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
House Sponsor: Anchia |
Senate Bill 357 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to expand the applicability of state law regarding protective orders for victims of sexual assault or stalking to include victims of sexual abuse or trafficking and to expand the venues in which an application for such a protective order may be filed to include any court with jurisdiction over a family violence-related protective order involving the same parties named in the application and a district court, juvenile court having the jurisdiction of a district court, statutory county court, or constitutional county court in any county in which an element of the alleged offense occurred. The bill authorizes such a protective order to prohibit the alleged offender from communicating in any manner with the applicant or any member of the applicant's family or household except through the applicant's attorney or a person appointed by the court, if the court finds good cause for the prohibition.