81R11953 GCB-F
By: Hopson H.B. No. 2514
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to creating an offense for impersonating a United States
citizen.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 37, Penal Code, is amended by adding
Section 37.115 to read as follows:
Sec. 37.115. IMPERSONATING UNITED STATES CITIZEN. (a) A
person commits an offense if the person is a citizen of a country
other than the United States and the person:
(1) exercises a right that, under state or federal
law, may be exercised only by a citizen of the United States;
(2) makes an entry in a governmental record that state
or federal law authorizes to be made only by a citizen of the United
States; or
(3) obtains a benefit reserved under state or federal
law for a citizen of the United States only.
(b) An offense under this section is a felony of the third
degree.
SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
Act takes effect September 1, 2009.