By: Whitmire S.B. No. 808
 
 
 
   
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to allowing certain claimants to file an application under
  the Crime Victims' Compensation Act.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Article 56.37, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
         (e)  For a claim that is based on criminally injurious
  conduct in violation of Chapter 19, Penal Code, the claimant must
  file an application not later than three years after the date the
  identity of the victim is established by a law enforcement agency.
         SECTION 2.  Article 56.61, Code of Criminal Procedure, is
  amended to read as follows:
         Art. 56.61.  COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN CRIMINALLY INJURIOUS
  CONDUCT PROHIBITED; EXCEPTION.  (a)  Except as provided by
  Subsection (b), the [The] attorney general may not award
  compensation for pecuniary [economic] loss arising from criminally
  injurious conduct that occurred before January 1, 1980.
         (b)  The attorney general may award compensation for
  pecuniary loss arising from criminally injurious conduct that
  occurred before January 1, 1980, if:
               (1)  the conduct was in violation of Chapter 19, Penal
  Code;
               (2)  the identity of the victim is established by a law
  enforcement agency on or after September 1, 2009; and
 
               (3)  the claimant files the application for
  compensation within the limitations period provided by Article
  56.37(e).
         SECTION 3.  The change in law made by this Act applies only
  to criminally injurious conduct committed against a victim whose
  identity is established by a law enforcement agency on or after the
  effective date of this Act. Criminally injurious conduct committed
  against a victim whose identity is established by a law enforcement
  agency before the effective date of this Act is covered by the law
  in effect on the date the victim's identity was established, and the
  former law is continued in effect for that purpose.
         SECTION 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.