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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the punishment for the offense of theft committed |
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during a natural disaster. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 31.03(f), Penal Code, is amended to read |
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as follows: |
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(f) An offense described for purposes of punishment by |
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Subsections (e)(1)-(6) is increased to the next higher category of |
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offense if it is shown on the trial of the offense that: |
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(1) the actor was a public servant at the time of the |
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offense and the property appropriated came into the actor's |
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custody, possession, or control by virtue of his status as a public |
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servant; |
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(2) the actor was in a contractual relationship with |
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government at the time of the offense and the property appropriated |
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came into the actor's custody, possession, or control by virtue of |
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the contractual relationship; [or] |
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(3) the owner of the property appropriated was at the |
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time of the offense an elderly individual; or |
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(4) the offense was committed at a location where a |
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natural disaster, including a tornado, hurricane, flood, or fire, |
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was occurring at the time of the offense or occurred immediately |
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before the offense was committed. |
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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 purposes of |
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this section, an offense is committed before the effective date of |
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this Act if any element of the offense occurs before the effective |
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date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2007. |