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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to increasing the criminal punishment for assault |
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committed against a sports participant. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 22.01(c), Penal Code, is amended to read |
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as follows: |
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(c) An offense under Subsection (a)(2) or (3) is a Class C |
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misdemeanor, except that the offense is[: |
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[(1)] a Class A misdemeanor if the offense is |
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committed: |
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(1) under Subsection (a)(3) against an elderly |
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individual or disabled individual, as those terms are defined by |
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Section 22.04; |
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(2) [a Class B misdemeanor if the offense is |
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committed] by a person who is not a sports participant against a |
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person the actor knows is a sports participant either: |
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(A) while the participant is performing duties or |
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responsibilities in the participant's capacity as a sports |
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participant; or |
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(B) in retaliation for or on account of the |
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participant's performance of a duty or responsibility within the |
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participant's capacity as a sports participant; or |
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(3) [a Class A misdemeanor if the offense is |
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committed] against a pregnant individual to force the individual to |
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have an abortion. |
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SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act applies only to |
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an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. An |
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offense committed before the effective date of this Act is governed |
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by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, and the |
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former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For purposes of |
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this section, an offense was committed before the effective date of |
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this Act if any element of the offense occurred before that date. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |