| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to investigating and prosecuting the criminal offense of |
|
|
operating an unmanned aircraft over or near certain facilities. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 423.0045, Government Code, is amended by |
|
|
amending Subsection (b) and adding Subsection (e) to read as |
|
|
follows: |
|
|
(b) A person commits an offense if the person with criminal |
|
|
negligence [intentionally or knowingly]: |
|
|
(1) operates an unmanned aircraft over a correctional |
|
|
facility, detention facility, or critical infrastructure facility |
|
|
and the unmanned aircraft is not higher than 400 feet above ground |
|
|
level; |
|
|
(2) allows an unmanned aircraft to make contact with a |
|
|
correctional facility, detention facility, or critical |
|
|
infrastructure facility, including any person or object on the |
|
|
premises of or within the facility; or |
|
|
(3) allows an unmanned aircraft to come within a |
|
|
distance of a correctional facility, detention facility, or |
|
|
critical infrastructure facility that is close enough to interfere |
|
|
with the operations of or cause a disturbance to the facility. |
|
|
(e) A peace officer who investigates an offense under this |
|
|
section shall notify the Department of Public Safety of the |
|
|
investigation. The department may require further information from |
|
|
the officer as the department determines necessary. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 423.0045, Government Code, as amended 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 governed by the law in effect on the |
|
|
date 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 occurred before that date. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |