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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the definitions of family violence and household member |
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for purposes of crime victims' compensation. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Articles 56B.003(6) and (7), Code of Criminal |
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Procedure, are amended to read as follows: |
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(6) "Family violence" means: |
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(A) an act by a member of a family or household |
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against another member of the family or household that is intended |
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to result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or sexual |
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assault or that is a threat that reasonably places the member in |
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fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or sexual |
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assault, but does not include defensive measures to protect |
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oneself; |
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(B) abuse, as that term is defined by Sections |
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261.001(1)(A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (G), (H), (I), (J), (K), and (M), |
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Family Code, by a member of a family or household toward a child of |
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the family or household; or |
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(C) dating violence, as that term is defined by |
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Section 71.0021 [has the meaning assigned by Section 71.004(1)], |
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Family Code. |
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(7) "Household member" means an individual who[: |
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[(A) is related by consanguinity or affinity to |
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the victim; and |
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[(B)] resided in the same permanent household as |
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the victim at the time that the criminally injurious conduct |
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occurred. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to compensation for criminally injurious conduct occurring on or |
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after the effective date of this Act. Compensation for criminally |
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injurious conduct occurring before the effective date of this Act |
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is governed by the law in effect on the date the conduct occurred, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, criminally injurious conduct occurred |
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before the effective date of this Act if any element of the offense |
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underlying the conduct occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |