By: Shapiro, Nelson S.B. No. 177
(In the Senate - Filed January 9, 2003; January 30, 2003,
read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice;
April 22, 2003, reported adversely, with favorable Committee
Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 4, Nays 0; April 22, 2003,
sent to printer.)
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR S.B. No. 177 By: Williams
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to enhancement of the penalty for an offender who
manufactures or delivers a controlled substance causing death or
serious bodily injury.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 481, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 481.141 to read as follows:
Sec. 481.141. MANUFACTURE OR DELIVERY OF CONTROLLED
SUBSTANCE CAUSING DEATH OR SERIOUS BODILY INJURY. (a) If at the
guilt or innocence phase of the trial of an offense described by
Subsection (b), the judge or jury, whichever is the trier of fact,
determines beyond a reasonable doubt that a person died or suffered
serious bodily injury as a result of injecting, ingesting,
inhaling, or introducing into the person's body any amount of the
controlled substance manufactured or delivered by the defendant,
regardless of whether the controlled substance was used by itself
or with another substance, including a drug, adulterant, or
dilutant, the punishment for the offense is increased by one
degree.
(b) This section applies to an offense otherwise punishable
as a state jail felony, felony of the third degree, or felony of the
second degree under Section 481.112, 481.1121, 481.113, 481.114, or
481.122.
(c) Notwithstanding Article 42.08, Code of Criminal
Procedure, if punishment for a defendant is increased under this
section, the court may not order the sentence for the offense to run
concurrently with any other sentence the court imposes on the
defendant.
SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.
An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is
covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the
former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of
this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of
this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2003.
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