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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to creating an offense for serial domestic violence. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 25, Penal Code, is amended by adding |
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Section 25.11 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 25.11. SERIAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. (a) A person commits |
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an offense if the person, on more than one occasion within a |
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12-month period and pursuant to the same scheme or course of conduct |
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that is directed specifically at another person or persons whose |
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relationship to or association with the defendant is described by |
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Section 71.0021(b), 71.003, or 71.005, Family Code, engages in |
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conduct that results in bodily injury to the other person or |
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persons. |
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(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third |
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degree. |
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(c) If conduct constituting an offense under this section |
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also constitutes an offense under another section of this code, the |
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actor may be prosecuted under either section or both sections. |
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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 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |