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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the offense of cruelty to nonlivestock animals. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 42.092(a), Penal Code, is amended by |
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adding Subdivision (9) to read as follows: |
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(9) "Harass" means to disturb, worry, molest, harry, |
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torment, or chase. |
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SECTION 2. Section 42.092(e), Penal Code, is amended to |
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read as follows: |
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(e) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (b)(2) |
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or (6) that: |
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(1) the animal was discovered on the person's property |
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in the act of or after harassing, injuring, or killing the person's |
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livestock animals or damaging the person's crops and that the |
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person killed or injured the animal at the time of this discovery; |
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or |
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(2) the person killed or injured the animal within the |
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scope of the person's employment as a public servant or in |
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furtherance of activities or operations associated with |
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electricity transmission or distribution, electricity generation |
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or operations associated with the generation of electricity, or |
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natural gas delivery. |
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SECTION 3. 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 was committed before the effective date of |
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this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |