| 1 | 1 | | By: Riddle, et al. (Senate Sponsor - Davis) H.B. No. 1120 |
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| 2 | 2 | | (In the Senate - Received from the House April 4, 2013; |
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| 3 | 3 | | April 8, 2013, read first time and referred to Committee on |
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| 4 | 4 | | Criminal Justice; May 17, 2013, reported favorably by the |
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| 5 | 5 | | following vote: Yeas 7, Nays 0; May 17, 2013, sent to printer.) |
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| 6 | 6 | | |
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| 7 | 7 | | |
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| 8 | 8 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 9 | 9 | | AN ACT |
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| 10 | 10 | | relating to the duties of the Texas Crime Stoppers Council to |
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| 11 | 11 | | encourage individuals to report criminal activity related to |
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| 12 | 12 | | trafficking of persons. |
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| 13 | 13 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 14 | 14 | | SECTION 1. Section 414.005, Government Code, is amended to |
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| 15 | 15 | | read as follows: |
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| 16 | 16 | | Sec. 414.005. DUTIES. The council shall: |
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| 17 | 17 | | (1) encourage, advise, and assist in the creation of |
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| 18 | 18 | | crime stoppers organizations; |
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| 19 | 19 | | (2) foster the detection of crime and encourage |
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| 20 | 20 | | persons to report information about criminal acts; |
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| 21 | 21 | | (3) encourage news and other media to broadcast |
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| 22 | 22 | | reenactments and to inform the public of the functions of crime |
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| 23 | 23 | | stoppers organizations' operations and programs; |
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| 24 | 24 | | (4) promote the process of crime stoppers |
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| 25 | 25 | | organizations to forward information about criminal acts to the |
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| 26 | 26 | | appropriate law enforcement agencies; |
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| 27 | 27 | | (5) help law enforcement agencies detect and combat |
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| 28 | 28 | | crime by increasing the flow of information to and between law |
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| 29 | 29 | | enforcement agencies; |
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| 30 | 30 | | (6) create specialized programs targeted at detecting |
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| 31 | 31 | | specific crimes or types of crimes, including at least one program |
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| 32 | 32 | | that: |
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| 33 | 33 | | (A) encourages individuals to report sex |
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| 34 | 34 | | offenders who have failed to register under Chapter 62, Code of |
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| 35 | 35 | | Criminal Procedure; [and] |
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| 36 | 36 | | (B) encourages individuals to report criminal |
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| 37 | 37 | | activity relating to the trafficking of persons, as described under |
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| 38 | 38 | | Chapter 20A, Penal Code; and |
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| 39 | 39 | | (C) financially rewards each individual who |
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| 40 | 40 | | makes a report described by Paragraph (A) or (B) that leads or |
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| 41 | 41 | | substantially contributes to the arrest or apprehension: |
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| 42 | 42 | | (i) of a sex offender who has failed to |
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| 43 | 43 | | register under Chapter 62, Code of Criminal Procedure; or |
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| 44 | 44 | | (ii) of a person suspected of engaging in |
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| 45 | 45 | | conduct that constitutes an offense under Chapter 20A, Penal Code; |
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| 46 | 46 | | and |
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| 47 | 47 | | (7) encourage, advise, and assist crime stoppers |
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| 48 | 48 | | organizations in implementing any programs created under |
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| 49 | 49 | | Subdivision (6), including a program specifically described by |
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| 50 | 50 | | Subdivision (6). |
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| 51 | 51 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 52 | 52 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 53 | 53 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 54 | 54 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 55 | 55 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |
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| 56 | 56 | | * * * * * |
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