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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the venue for prosecution of misdemeanor cases in |
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justice courts. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 4.12(a), Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(a) Except as otherwise provided by this article, a |
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misdemeanor case to be tried in justice court shall be tried: |
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(1) in the precinct in which the offense was |
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committed; |
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(2) in the precinct in which the defendant or any of |
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the defendants reside; |
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(3) with the written consent of the state and each |
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defendant or the defendant's attorney, in any other precinct within |
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the county; or |
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(4) if the offense was committed in a county with a |
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population of 3.3 million or more, in any precinct that is: |
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(A) [in the county that is] adjacent to the |
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precinct in which the offense was committed; and |
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(B) located in that county. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to a misdemeanor case that is initially filed in a justice court on |
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or after the effective date of this Act, regardless of whether the |
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offense for which the case is filed occurred before, on, or after |
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the effective date of this Act. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |