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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to increasing the punishment for contempt of court by |
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certain juveniles in a justice or municipal court. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Articles 45.050(b) and (c), Code of Criminal |
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Procedure, are amended to read as follows: |
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(b) A justice or municipal court may not order the |
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confinement of a child for[:
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[(1)] the failure to pay all or any part of a fine or |
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costs imposed for the conviction of an offense punishable by fine |
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only[; or
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[(2)
contempt of another order of a justice or
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municipal court]. |
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(c) If a child fails to obey an order of a justice or |
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municipal court under circumstances that would constitute contempt |
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of court, the justice or municipal court, after providing notice |
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and an opportunity to be heard, may: |
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(1) refer the child to the appropriate juvenile court |
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for delinquent conduct for contempt of the justice or municipal |
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court order; or |
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(2) retain jurisdiction of the case, hold the child in |
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contempt of the justice or municipal court, and order one or more |
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[either or both] of the following: |
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(A) that the contemnor pay a fine not to exceed |
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$500; [or] |
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(B) that the Department of Public Safety suspend |
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the contemnor's driver's license or permit or, if the contemnor does |
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not have a license or permit, to deny the issuance of a license or |
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permit to the contemnor until the contemnor fully complies with the |
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orders of the court; or |
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(C) that the child be confined for a period not to |
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exceed 24 hours in accordance with the requirements for detention |
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of a child under Section 51.12(f), Family Code. |
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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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governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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and 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |