BILL ANALYSIS
Senate Research Center S.B. 1791
AUTHOR'S/SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
As proposed, S.B. 1791 acts to protect judicial officers in the State of Texas by ensuring our statutes allow for the maximum punishment available under the law for anyone who causes harm to those officers. This bill amends the Penal Code to provide that it is capital murder to murder a judicial officer if the murder is in retaliation for or on account of the service or status of the victim as a judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, or a municipal court.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 19.03(a), Penal Code, to provide that a person commits capital murder if the person intentionally or knowingly causes the death of an individual and the person murders another person in retaliation for or on account of the service or status of the other person as a judge or justice of the supreme court, the court of criminal appeals, a court of appeals, a district court, a criminal district court, a constitutional county court, a statutory county court, a justice court, or a municipal court. Makes a nonsubstantive change.
SECTION 2. Effective date: September 1, 2005.