| 1 | 1 | | 81R8755 KSD-F |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Martinez Fischer H.B. No. 1986 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to protective orders against dating violence. |
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| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Section 71.0021(a), Family Code, is amended to |
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| 10 | 10 | | read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | (a) "Dating violence" means an act by an individual that is |
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| 12 | 12 | | against another individual with whom that person has or has had a |
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| 13 | 13 | | dating relationship, or by an individual against another individual |
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| 14 | 14 | | who is in a dating relationship with a third individual with whom |
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| 15 | 15 | | the actor is or has been in a dating relationship or marriage, and |
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| 16 | 16 | | that is intended to result in physical harm, bodily injury, |
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| 17 | 17 | | assault, or sexual assault or that is a threat that reasonably |
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| 18 | 18 | | places the individual in fear of imminent physical harm, bodily |
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| 19 | 19 | | injury, assault, or sexual assault, but does not include defensive |
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| 20 | 20 | | measures to protect oneself. |
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| 21 | 21 | | SECTION 2. The change in law made by this Act to Section |
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| 22 | 22 | | 71.0021, Family Code, applies only to an application for a |
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| 23 | 23 | | protective order that is filed on or after the effective date of |
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| 24 | 24 | | this Act. An application for a protective order filed before the |
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| 25 | 25 | | effective date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the |
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| 26 | 26 | | date the application is filed, and the former law is continued in |
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| 27 | 27 | | effect for that purpose. |
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| 28 | 28 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 29 | 29 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 30 | 30 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 31 | 31 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 32 | 32 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2009. |
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