By Finnell                                      H.B. No. 2521

      75R8878 JMC-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to the eligibility of certain persons to apply for

 1-3     compensation under the Crime Victims' Compensation Act.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Article 56.32(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is

 1-6     amended by amending Subdivision (11) and adding Subdivision (12) to

 1-7     read as follows:

 1-8                 (11)  "Victim" means, except as provided by Subsection

 1-9     (c):

1-10                       (A)  an individual who:

1-11                             (i)  suffers personal injury or death as a

1-12     result of criminally injurious conduct directed at the individual

1-13     or as a result of actions taken by the individual as an intervenor,

1-14     if the conduct or actions occurred in this state; and

1-15                             (ii)  is a resident of this state, another

1-16     state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the

1-17     Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or a possession or territory of the

1-18     United States; [or]

1-19                       (B)  an individual who:

1-20                             (i)  suffers personal injury or death as a

1-21     result of criminally injurious conduct directed at the individual

1-22     or as a result of actions taken by the individual as an intervenor,

1-23     if the conduct or actions occurred in a state that does not have a

1-24     crime victims' compensation program that meets the requirements of

 2-1     Section 1403(b), Crime Victims Compensation Act of 1984 (42 U.S.C.

 2-2     Section 10602(b));

 2-3                             (ii)  is a resident of this state; and

 2-4                             (iii)  would be entitled to compensation

 2-5     under this subchapter if the criminally injurious conduct or

 2-6     actions had occurred in this state; or

 2-7                       (C)  an individual who:

 2-8                             (i)  suffers personal injury or death as a

 2-9     result of criminally injurious conduct relating to international

2-10     terrorism; and

2-11                             (ii)  is a resident of this state.

2-12                 (12)  In this subchapter, "international terrorism"

2-13     means any unlawful act occurring in a jurisdiction outside of the

2-14     United States, including any completed or preparatory offense,

2-15     involving the use of a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument, or

2-16     the intentional or knowing infliction of physical injury or

2-17     criminal damage to property, committed for political or financial

2-18     gain with the intent to intimidate or coerce the United States or

2-19     any of its political subdivisions, agencies, instrumentalities,

2-20     officers, or agents.

2-21           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies

2-22     only to a claim for compensation for criminally injurious conduct

2-23     occurring on or after the effective date of this Act.  For purposes

2-24     of this section, conduct occurs before the effective date of this

2-25     Act if any element of the offense that is included in the

2-26     criminally injurious conduct occurs before that date.

2-27           (b)  An application for compensation based on criminally

 3-1     injurious conduct occurring before the effective date of this Act

 3-2     is covered by the law in effect when the offense that is included

 3-3     in the criminally injurious conduct was committed, and the former

 3-4     law is continued in effect for that purpose.

 3-5           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1997.

 3-6           SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the

 3-7     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

 3-8     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-9     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

3-10     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.