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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the insanity defense in a criminal case. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 8.01(a), Penal Code, is amended to read |
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as follows: |
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(a) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution that, at the |
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time of the conduct charged, the actor, as a result of severe mental |
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disease or defect, did not know that his conduct was legally or |
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morally wrong. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and |
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the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes |
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of this section, an offense was committed before the effective date |
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of this Act if any element of the offense was committed before that |
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date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |