88R4529 JRR-D
 
  By: Alvarado, Whitmire S.B. No. 224
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the prosecution of and punishment for theft of a
  catalytic converter; increasing a criminal penalty.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  This Act shall be known as the Deputy Darren
  Almendarez Act.
         SECTION 2.  Section 31.03, Penal Code, is amended by
  amending Subsections (c) and (e) and adding Subsection (f-1) to
  read as follows:
         (c)  For purposes of Subsection (b):
               (1)  evidence that the actor has previously
  participated in recent transactions other than, but similar to, the
  transaction for [that] which the prosecution is based is admissible
  for the purpose of showing knowledge or intent and the issues of
  knowledge or intent are raised by the actor's plea of not guilty;
               (2)  the testimony of an accomplice shall be
  corroborated by proof that tends to connect the actor to the crime,
  but the actor's knowledge or intent may be established by the
  uncorroborated testimony of the accomplice;
               (3)  an actor engaged in the business of buying and
  selling used or secondhand personal property, or lending money on
  the security of personal property deposited with the actor, is
  presumed to know upon receipt by the actor of stolen property (other
  than a motor vehicle subject to Chapter 501, Transportation Code)
  that the property has been previously stolen from another if the
  actor pays for or loans against the property $25 or more (or
  consideration of equivalent value) and the actor knowingly or
  recklessly:
                     (A)  fails to record the name, address, and
  physical description or identification number of the seller or
  pledgor;
                     (B)  fails to record a complete description of the
  property, including the serial number, if reasonably available, or
  other identifying characteristics; or
                     (C)  fails to obtain a signed warranty from the
  seller or pledgor that the seller or pledgor has the right to
  possess the property.  It is the express intent of this provision
  that the presumption arises unless the actor complies with each of
  the numbered requirements;
               (4)  for the purposes of Subdivision (3)(A),
  "identification number" means driver's license number, military
  identification number, identification certificate, or other
  official number capable of identifying an individual;
               (5)  stolen property does not lose its character as
  stolen when recovered by any law enforcement agency;
               (6)  an actor engaged in the business of obtaining
  abandoned or wrecked motor vehicles or parts of an abandoned or
  wrecked motor vehicle for resale, disposal, scrap, repair,
  rebuilding, demolition, or other form of salvage is presumed to
  know on receipt by the actor of stolen property that the property
  has been previously stolen from another if the actor knowingly or
  recklessly:
                     (A)  fails to maintain an accurate and legible
  inventory of each motor vehicle component part purchased by or
  delivered to the actor, including the date of purchase or delivery,
  the name, age, address, sex, and driver's license number of the
  seller or person making the delivery, the license plate number of
  the motor vehicle in which the part was delivered, a complete
  description of the part, and the vehicle identification number of
  the motor vehicle from which the part was removed, or in lieu of
  maintaining an inventory, fails to record the name and certificate
  of inventory number of the person who dismantled the motor vehicle
  from which the part was obtained;
                     (B)  fails on receipt of a motor vehicle to obtain
  a certificate of authority, sales receipt, or transfer document as
  required by Chapter 683, Transportation Code, or a certificate of
  title showing that the motor vehicle is not subject to a lien or
  that all recorded liens on the motor vehicle have been released; or
                     (C)  fails on receipt of a motor vehicle to
  immediately remove an unexpired license plate from the motor
  vehicle, to keep the plate in a secure and locked place, or to
  maintain an inventory, on forms provided by the Texas Department of
  Motor Vehicles, of license plates kept under this paragraph,
  including for each plate or set of plates the license plate number
  and the make, motor number, and vehicle identification number of
  the motor vehicle from which the plate was removed;
               (7)  an actor who purchases or receives a used or
  secondhand motor vehicle is presumed to know on receipt by the actor
  of the motor vehicle that the motor vehicle has been previously
  stolen from another if the actor knowingly or recklessly:
                     (A)  fails to report to the Texas Department of
  Motor Vehicles the failure of the person who sold or delivered the
  motor vehicle to the actor to deliver to the actor a properly
  executed certificate of title to the motor vehicle at the time the
  motor vehicle was delivered; or
                     (B)  fails to file with the appropriate county tax
  assessor-collector the documents required under Section 501.145,
  Transportation Code, in the period provided by that section [of the
  county in which the actor received the motor vehicle, not later than
  the 20th day after the date the actor received the motor vehicle,
  the registration license receipt and certificate of title or
  evidence of title delivered to the actor in accordance with
  Subchapter D, Chapter 520, Transportation Code, at the time the
  motor vehicle was delivered];
               (8)  an actor who purchases or receives from any source
  other than a licensed retailer or distributor of pesticides a
  restricted-use pesticide or a state-limited-use pesticide or a
  compound, mixture, or preparation containing a restricted-use or
  state-limited-use pesticide is presumed to know on receipt by the
  actor of the pesticide or compound, mixture, or preparation that
  the pesticide or compound, mixture, or preparation has been
  previously stolen from another if the actor:
                     (A)  fails to record the name, address, and
  physical description of the seller or pledgor;
                     (B)  fails to record a complete description of the
  amount and type of pesticide or compound, mixture, or preparation
  purchased or received; and
                     (C)  fails to obtain a signed warranty from the
  seller or pledgor that the seller or pledgor has the right to
  possess the property; [and]
               (9)  an actor who is subject to Section 409, Packers and
  Stockyards Act (7 U.S.C. Section 228b), that obtains livestock from
  a commission merchant by representing that the actor will make
  prompt payment is presumed to have induced the commission
  merchant's consent by deception if the actor fails to make full
  payment in accordance with Section 409, Packers and Stockyards Act
  (7 U.S.C. Section 228b); and 
               (10)  an actor in possession of property consisting of
  two or more catalytic converters that have been removed from two or
  more motor vehicles is presumed to have unlawfully appropriated the
  property unless the actor:
                     (A)  is the owner of each vehicle from which the
  catalytic converters were removed;
                     (B)  possessed the catalytic converters in the
  ordinary course of engaging in a business that is required to be
  licensed or registered, or is otherwise regulated, by this state or
  a political subdivision of this state, including:
                           (i)  an automotive wrecking and salvage
  yard, as defined by Section 234.001, Local Government Code;
                           (ii)  a metal recycling entity registered
  under Chapter 1956, Occupations Code; 
                           (iii)  a dealer licensed under Chapter 2301,
  Occupations Code; or
                           (iv)  a garage or shop that is engaged in the
  business of repairing motor vehicles and subject to Chapter 2305,
  Occupations Code; or
                     (C)  is an employee or agent of a person described
  by Paragraph (B) and the actor possessed the catalytic converters
  while performing a duty within the scope of that employment or
  agency.
         (e)  Except as provided by Subsections [Subsection] (f) and
  (f-1), an offense under this section is:
               (1)  a Class C misdemeanor if the value of the property
  stolen is less than $100;
               (2)  a Class B misdemeanor if:
                     (A)  the value of the property stolen is $100 or
  more but less than $750;
                     (B)  the value of the property stolen is less than
  $100 and the defendant has previously been convicted of any grade of
  theft; or
                     (C)  the property stolen is a driver's license,
  commercial driver's license, or personal identification
  certificate issued by this state or another state;
               (3)  a Class A misdemeanor if the value of the property
  stolen is $750 or more but less than $2,500;
               (4)  a state jail felony if:
                     (A)  the value of the property stolen is $2,500 or
  more but less than $30,000, or the property is less than 10 head of
  sheep, swine, or goats or any part thereof under the value of
  $30,000;
                     (B)  regardless of value, the property is stolen
  from the person of another or from a human corpse or grave,
  including property that is a military grave marker;
                     (C)  the property stolen is a firearm[, as defined
  by Section 46.01];
                     (D)  the value of the property stolen is less than
  $2,500 and the defendant has been previously convicted two or more
  times of any grade of theft;
                     (E)  the property stolen is an official ballot or
  official carrier envelope for an election; [or]
                     (F)  the value of the property stolen is less than
  $20,000 and the property stolen is:
                           (i)  aluminum;
                           (ii)  bronze;
                           (iii)  copper; or
                           (iv)  brass; or
                     (G)  the value of the property stolen is less than
  $30,000 and the property stolen is a catalytic converter; 
               (5)  a felony of the third degree if the value of the
  property stolen is $30,000 or more but less than $150,000, or the
  property is:
                     (A)  cattle, horses, or exotic livestock or exotic
  fowl as defined by Section 142.001, Agriculture Code, stolen during
  a single transaction and having an aggregate value of less than
  $150,000;
                     (B)  10 or more head of sheep, swine, or goats
  stolen during a single transaction and having an aggregate value of
  less than $150,000; or
                     (C)  a controlled substance, having a value of
  less than $150,000, if stolen from:
                           (i)  a commercial building in which a
  controlled substance is generally stored, including a pharmacy,
  clinic, hospital, nursing facility, or warehouse; or
                           (ii)  a vehicle owned or operated by a
  wholesale distributor of prescription drugs;
               (6)  a felony of the second degree if:
                     (A)  the value of the property stolen is $150,000
  or more but less than $300,000; or
                     (B)  the value of the property stolen is less than
  $300,000 and the property stolen is an automated teller machine or
  the contents or components of an automated teller machine; or
               (7)  a felony of the first degree if the value of the
  property stolen is $300,000 or more.
         (f-1)  An offense described for purposes of punishment by
  Subsections (e)(4)-(6) is increased to the next higher category of
  offense if it is shown on the trial of the offense that:
               (1)  the property stolen is a catalytic converter; and
               (2)  the actor possessed a firearm during the
  commission of the offense.
         SECTION 3.  Section 31.03(h), Penal Code, is amended by
  adding Subdivisions (7) and (8) to read as follows:
               (7)  "Catalytic converter" includes any material
  removed from a catalytic converter.
               (8)  "Firearm" has the meaning assigned by Section
  46.01.
         SECTION 4.  The changes in law made by this Act apply 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 was committed before that
  date.
         SECTION 5.  This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.