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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the applicability of the offense of criminal trespass |
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in certain situations involving hunting. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 30.05, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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Subsection (k) to read as follows: |
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(k) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that |
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the actor entered the property of another, including forest land or |
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agricultural land, to retrieve a dog used by the actor for hunting |
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that strayed onto the property if: |
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(1) immediately preceding the actor's entry on the |
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property, the actor was using the dog to hunt on land contiguous to |
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the property; |
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(2) the actor did not carry a firearm or any other |
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deadly weapon on the property; and |
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(3) the actor immediately returned to the land on |
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which the actor was hunting after retrieving the dog. |
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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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covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the |
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former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For the |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense was |
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committed before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |