1-1     By:  Williams (Senate Sponsor - Shapiro)              H.B. No. 1209
 1-2           (In the Senate - Received from the House May 1, 2001;
 1-3     May 2, 2001, read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal
 1-4     Justice; May 11, 2001, reported favorably by the following vote:
 1-5     Yeas 5, Nays 0; May 11, 2001, sent to printer.)
 1-6                            A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-7                                   AN ACT
 1-8     relating to the uncorroborated testimony of victims of certain
 1-9     sexual offenses.
1-10           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-11           SECTION 1.  Article 38.07, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
1-12     amended to read as follows:
1-13           Art. 38.07.  TESTIMONY IN CORROBORATION OF VICTIM OF SEXUAL
1-14     OFFENSE.  (a)  A conviction under Chapter 21, Section 22.011, or
1-15     Section 22.021, Penal Code, is supportable on the uncorroborated
1-16     testimony of the victim of the sexual offense if the victim
1-17     informed any person, other than the defendant, of the alleged
1-18     offense within one year after the date on which the offense is
1-19     alleged to have occurred.
1-20           (b)  The requirement that the victim inform another person of
1-21     an alleged offense does not apply if at the time of the alleged
1-22     offense the victim was a person:
1-23                 (1)  17 years of age or younger;
1-24                 (2)  65 years of age or older; or
1-25                 (3)  18 years of age or older who by reason of age or
1-26     physical or mental disease, defect, or injury was substantially
1-27     unable to satisfy the person's need for food, shelter, medical
1-28     care, or protection from harm [younger than 18 years of age at the
1-29     time of the alleged offense].
1-30           SECTION 2.  (a)  The change in law made by this Act applies
1-31     only to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this
1-32     Act.  For  purposes of this section, an offense is committed before
1-33     the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurs
1-34     before that date.
1-35           (b)  An offense committed before the effective date of this
1-36     Act is covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed,
1-37     and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
1-38           SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.
1-39                                  * * * * *