By Zaffirini                                           S.B. No. 169
         77R1816 ATP-F                           
                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 1-1                                   AN ACT
 1-2     relating to the compensation to victims of sexual assault for
 1-3     relocation and housing rental expenses.
 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
 1-5           SECTION 1. Article 56.32(9), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
 1-6     amended to read as follows:
 1-7                 (9)  "Pecuniary loss" means the amount of expense
 1-8     reasonably and necessarily incurred as a result of personal injury
 1-9     or death for:
1-10                       (A)  medical, hospital, nursing, or psychiatric
1-11     care or counseling, or physical therapy;
1-12                       (B)  actual loss of past earnings and anticipated
1-13     loss of future earnings and necessary travel expenses because of:
1-14                             (i)  a disability resulting from the
1-15     personal injury;
1-16                             (ii)  the receipt of medically indicated
1-17     services related to the disability resulting from the personal
1-18     injury; or
1-19                             (iii)  participation in or attendance at
1-20     investigative, prosecutorial, or judicial processes related to the
1-21     criminally injurious conduct and participation in or attendance at
1-22     any postconviction or postadjudication proceeding relating to
1-23     criminally injurious conduct;
1-24                       (C)  care of a child or dependent;
 2-1                       (D)  funeral and burial expenses;
 2-2                       (E)  loss of support to a dependent, consistent
 2-3     with Article 56.41(b)(5);
 2-4                       (F)  reasonable and necessary costs of cleaning
 2-5     the crime scene;
 2-6                       (G)  reasonable replacement costs for clothing,
 2-7     bedding, or property of the victim seized as evidence or rendered
 2-8     unusable as a result of the criminal investigation; and
 2-9                       (H)  reasonable and necessary costs, as provided
2-10     by Article 56.42(d), incurred by a victim of domestic violence or
2-11     sexual assault for relocation and housing rental assistance
2-12     payments.
2-13           SECTION 2. Article 56.42(d), Code of Criminal Procedure, is
2-14     amended to read as follows:
2-15           (d)  A victim who is a victim of domestic violence or sexual
2-16     assault may receive a onetime-only assistance payment in an amount
2-17     not to exceed:
2-18                 (1)  $2,000 to be used for relocation expenses,
2-19     including expenses for rental deposit, utility connections,
2-20     expenses relating to the moving of belongings, motor vehicle
2-21     mileage expenses, and for out-of-state moves, transportation,
2-22     lodging, and meals; and
2-23                 (2)  $1,800 to be used for housing rental expenses.
2-24           SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2001.  The
2-25     changes in law made by this Act apply only to a victim of a
2-26     criminal offense committed or a violation that occurs on or after
2-27     the effective date of this Act.  For purposes of this Act, a
 3-1     criminal offense is committed or a violation occurs before the
 3-2     effective date of this Act if any element of the offense or
 3-3     violation occurs before that date.  A criminal offense committed or
 3-4     a violation that occurs before the effective date of this Act is
 3-5     covered by the law in effect when the criminal offense was
 3-6     committed or the violation occurred, and the former law is
 3-7     continued in effect for that purpose.