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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the authority of a court to order a defendant to engage |
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in certain alternatives to confinement as part of the defendant's |
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sentence. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Chapter 42, Code of Criminal Procedure, is |
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amended by adding Article 42.024 to read as follows: |
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Art. 42.024. COURT MAY ORDER ALTERNATIVES AS PART OF |
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SENTENCE. A court may order a defendant to serve all or part of a |
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sentence of confinement, or to serve all or part of a period of |
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confinement required as a condition of community supervision, by |
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engaging in an educational program, counseling, treatment, |
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community service, or any other alternative to confinement that is |
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determined reasonable by the court if the court determines that |
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requiring the defendant to engage in the alternative to confinement |
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instead of being confined would: |
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(1) provide accountability; |
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(2) encourage reformation; |
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(3) protect society; or |
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(4) encourage rehabilitation. |
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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. |