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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the issuance of citations to children under the age of |
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twelve years old. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 14.06, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Subsections (c) and (d) to read as follows: |
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(c) A peace officer may not require a child under the age of |
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twelve who is on school property during school hours to sign a |
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citation. If the child's parent or legal guardian is not present and |
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cannot be present at the time the citation is issued, a school |
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administrator or teacher shall sign the citation for the sole |
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purpose of witnessing and acknowledging the citation was issued. In |
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signing this document, the school administrator or teacher is not |
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legally committing themselves or assuming responsibility for the |
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student or parent appearing in court. |
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(d) Not later than 2 business days after the issuance of a |
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citation, a school official must notify the child's parent or |
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guardian by phone, mail, or in person of the citation. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed before September 1, 2007. An offense |
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committed on or after September 1, 2007 is governed by the law in |
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effect when the offense was committed, and the former law is |
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continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of this section, |
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and offense was committed before September 1, 2007 if any element of |
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the offense was committed before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |