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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to increasing the criminal penalty for certain offenses |
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committed in a vehicle operated by a public transportation system. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 12, Penal Code, is amended |
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by adding Section 12.501 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 12.501. PENALTY IF OFFENSE COMMITTED IN PUBLIC |
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TRANSPORTATION VEHICLE. (a) Subject to Subsection (c), the |
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punishment for an offense described by Subsection (b) is increased |
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to the punishment prescribed for the next higher category of |
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offense if it is shown on the trial of the offense that the offense |
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was committed in a vehicle operated by an authority created under |
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Chapter 451, 452, 453, 457, 458, or 460, Transportation Code. |
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(b) The increase in punishment authorized by this section |
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applies only to an offense under Chapter 21, 22, or 29. |
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(c) This section does not apply to an offense for which the |
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punishment otherwise prescribed is the punishment for a first |
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degree felony or capital felony. |
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(d) For the purposes of this section, "vehicle" means a bus, |
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a railcar, rolling stock, or other vehicle used by the public for |
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mass transit purposes. |
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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, 2017. |