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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a criminal offense committed against a person because |
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of bias or prejudice on the basis of gender. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Article 42.014(c), Code of Criminal Procedure, |
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is amended to read as follows: |
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(c) In this article: |
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(1) "Gender" means the actual or perceived |
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gender-related characteristics of an individual, regardless of the |
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individual's designated sex at birth. |
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(2) "Sexual [, "sexual] preference" has the following |
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meaning only: a preference for heterosexuality, homosexuality, or |
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bisexuality. |
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SECTION 2. 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 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |