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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the offense of criminal mischief involving the damage |
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or destruction of a monument or memorial. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 28.03, Penal Code, is amended by |
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amending Subsection (f) and adding Subsection (l) to read as |
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follows: |
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(f) An offense under this section is a state jail felony if: |
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(1) the damage or destruction is inflicted on a place |
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of worship or human burial, a [public] monument or memorial, or a |
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community center that provides medical, social, or educational |
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programs; and |
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(2) the amount of the pecuniary loss to real property |
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or to tangible personal property is $750 or more but less than |
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$30,000. |
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(l) An offense under this section involving the damage or |
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destruction of a monument or memorial is an offense involving moral |
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turpitude. |
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SECTION 2. Section 28.03(g), Penal Code, is amended by |
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adding Subdivision (10) to read as follows: |
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(10) "Monument or memorial" means a permanent |
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monument, memorial, or other designation, including a statue, |
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portrait, plaque, seal, symbol, cenotaph, or name of a building, |
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bridge, street or highway, park, or area, that honors an event or |
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person of historical significance. |
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SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only |
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to an offense committed on or after the effective date of this Act. |
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An offense committed before the effective date of this Act is |
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governed by the law in effect on the date the offense was committed, |
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and the former law is continued in effect for that purpose. For |
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purposes of this section, an offense was committed before the |
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effective date of this Act if any element of the offense occurred |
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before that date. |
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SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |