By: Moncrief S.B. No. 294
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
1-1 relating to certain offenses involving combinations or criminal
1-2 street gangs.
1-3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-4 SECTION 1. Section 71.01, Penal Code, is amended by adding
1-5 Subsection (d) to read as follows:
1-6 (d) "Criminal street gang" means three or more persons
1-7 having a common identifying sign or symbol or an identifiable
1-8 leadership who continuously or regularly associate in the
1-9 commission of criminal activities.
1-10 SECTION 2. Subsection (a), Section 71.02, Penal Code, is
1-11 amended to read as follows:
1-12 (a) A person commits an offense if, with the intent to
1-13 establish, maintain, or participate in a combination or in the
1-14 profits of a combination or as a member of a criminal street gang,
1-15 he commits or conspires to commit one or more of the following:
1-16 (1) murder, capital murder, arson, aggravated robbery,
1-17 robbery, burglary, theft, aggravated kidnapping, kidnapping,
1-18 aggravated assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault,
1-19 forgery, deadly conduct, assault punishable as a Class A
1-20 misdemeanor, burglary of a motor vehicle, or unauthorized use of a
1-21 motor vehicle;
1-22 (2) any gambling offense punishable as a Class A
1-23 misdemeanor;
2-1 (3) promotion of prostitution, aggravated promotion of
2-2 prostitution, or compelling prostitution;
2-3 (4) unlawful manufacture, transportation, repair, or
2-4 sale of firearms or prohibited weapons;
2-5 (5) unlawful manufacture, delivery, dispensation, or
2-6 distribution of a controlled substance or dangerous drug, or
2-7 unlawful possession of a controlled substance or dangerous drug
2-8 through forgery, fraud, misrepresentation, or deception;
2-9 (6) any unlawful wholesale promotion or possession of
2-10 any obscene material or obscene device with the intent to wholesale
2-11 promote the same;
2-12 (7) any unlawful employment, authorization, or
2-13 inducing of a child younger than 17 years of age in an obscene
2-14 sexual performance;
2-15 (8) any felony offense under Chapter 32, Penal Code;
2-16 (9) any offense under Chapter 36, Penal Code; or
2-17 (10) any offense under Chapter 34, Penal Code.
2-18 SECTION 3. (a) This Act takes effect September 1, 1995.
2-19 (b) The change in law made by this Act applies only to an
2-20 offense committee on or after the effective date of this Act. For
2-21 purposes of this section, an offense is committed before the
2-22 effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
2-23 before the effective date.
2-24 (c) An offense committed before the effective date of this
2-25 Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
3-1 and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
3-2 SECTION 4. The importance of this legislation and the
3-3 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
3-4 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
3-5 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
3-6 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.