86R7849 MEW-F
 
  By: Tinderholt H.B. No. 3926
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to creating the criminal offenses of obtaining medical
  treatment by deception for a child, elderly individual, or disabled
  individual and continuous abuse of a child, elderly individual, or
  disabled individual.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act shall be known as Alyssa's Law.
         SECTION 2.  Chapter 22, Penal Code, is amended by adding
  Sections 22.042 and 22.043 to read as follows:
         Sec. 22.042.  OBTAINING MEDICAL TREATMENT BY DECEPTION FOR
  CHILD, ELDERLY INDIVIDUAL, OR DISABLED INDIVIDUAL.  (a)  In this
  section:
               (1)  "Child," "disabled individual," and "elderly
  individual" have the meanings assigned by Section 22.04.
               (2)  "Medical history" includes any oral or written
  communication regarding an individual's current or previous
  symptoms, diagnoses, or family medical history.
               (3)  "Medical treatment" includes a prescription for a
  controlled substance or other medication, an injection, inpatient
  or outpatient surgery, or other medical care occurring under the
  direction of or by a licensed physician.
         (b)  A person commits an offense if the person intentionally
  provides false medical history to medical personnel to obtain
  medical treatment for a child, elderly individual, or disabled
  individual.
         (c)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third
  degree.
         Sec. 22.043.  CONTINUOUS ABUSE OF CHILD, ELDERLY INDIVIDUAL,
  OR DISABLED INDIVIDUAL.  (a)  A person commits an offense if, during
  a period that is 30 or more days but less than five years in
  duration, the person engages two or more times in conduct that
  constitutes an offense under Section 22.04 or 22.042 against one or
  more victims.
         (b)  If a jury is the trier of fact, members of the jury are
  not required to agree unanimously on which specific conduct engaged
  in by the defendant constituted an offense under Section 22.04 or
  22.042 or on which exact date the defendant engaged in that conduct.  
  The jury must agree unanimously that the defendant, during a period
  that is 30 or more days but less than five years in duration,
  engaged two or more times in conduct that constituted an offense
  under Section 22.04 or 22.042.
         (c)  If the victim of an offense under Subsection (a) is the
  same victim as a victim of an offense under Section 22.04 or 22.042,
  a defendant may not be convicted of the offense under Section 22.04
  or 22.042 in the same criminal action as the offense under
  Subsection (a), unless the offense under Section 22.04 or 22.042:
               (1)  is charged in the alternative;
               (2)  occurred outside the period in which the offense
  alleged under Subsection (a) was committed; or
               (3)  is considered by the trier of fact to be a lesser
  included offense of the offense alleged under Subsection (a).
         (d)  A defendant may not be charged with more than one count
  under Subsection (a) if all of the conduct that constitutes an
  offense under Section 22.04 or 22.042 is alleged to have been
  committed against the same victim.
         (e)  An offense under this section is a felony of the second
  degree.
         SECTION 3.  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
  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 4.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.