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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the concurrent jurisdiction of certain municipal courts |
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in certain criminal cases punishable by fine only. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 4.14, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows: |
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(f) A municipality with a population of 1.9 million or more |
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and another municipality contiguous to that municipality may enter |
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into an agreement providing concurrent jurisdiction for the |
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municipal courts of either jurisdiction for all criminal cases |
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arising from offenses under state law that are: |
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(1) committed on the boundary of those municipalities |
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or within 200 yards of that boundary; and |
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(2) punishable by fine only. |
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SECTION 2. Chapter 13, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Article 13.045 to read as follows: |
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Art. 13.045. ON THE BOUNDARIES OF CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES. |
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An offense punishable by fine only that is committed on the |
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boundary, or within 200 yards of the boundary, of contiguous |
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municipalities that have entered into an agreement authorized by |
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Article 4.14(f) and Section 29.003(h), Government Code, may be |
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prosecuted in either of those municipalities. |
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SECTION 3. Section 29.003, Government Code, is amended by |
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adding Subsection (h) to read as follows: |
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(h) A municipality with a population of 1.9 million or more |
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and another municipality contiguous to that municipality may enter |
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into an agreement providing concurrent jurisdiction for the |
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municipal courts of either jurisdiction for all criminal cases |
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arising from offenses under state law that are: |
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(1) committed on the boundary of those municipalities |
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or within 200 yards of that boundary; and |
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(2) punishable by fine only. |
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SECTION 4. 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 |
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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 occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |