87R11119 JSC-D
 
  By: Reynolds H.B. No. 2358
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to increasing the criminal penalty for certain false
  reports that are made to certain law enforcement and corrections
  entities.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Section 37.08, Penal Code, is amended by
  amending Subsection (c) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
  follows:
         (c)  Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (d), an [An]
  offense under this section is a Class B misdemeanor.
         (d)  If it is shown on the trial of an offense under this
  section that the false statement consisted of an allegation that
  another person engaged in conduct violating a penal law of this
  state, the offense is the greater of:
               (1)  the category of offense of the most serious
  offense falsely reported; or
               (2)  a Class A misdemeanor.
         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
  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, 2021.