By: Lozano H.B. No. 770

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the punishment prescribed for the offense of bail

jumping and failure to appear.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 38.10, Penal Code, is amended by

amending Subsection (d) and adding Subsection (g) to read as

follows:

(d) Except as otherwise provided by this section [in

Subsections (e) and (f)], an offense under this section is a Class A

misdemeanor.

(g) An offense under this section is a felony of the first

degree if the offense for which the actor's appearance was required

is an offense under Section 19.02 (murder) or 19.03 (capital

murder).

SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only

to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act.

An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is

covered by the law in effect when the offense was committed, and the

former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of

this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of

this Act if any element of the offense was committed before that

date.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2011.