| 1 | 1 | | By: Spitzer H.B. No. 384 |
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| 2 | 2 | | |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
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| 6 | 6 | | relating to the authority of general-law municipalities to restrict |
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| 7 | 7 | | sex offenders from child safety zones in the municipality. |
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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. Subchapter Z, Chapter 341, Local Government |
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| 10 | 10 | | Code, is amended by adding Section 341.906 to read as follows: |
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| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 341.906. LIMITATIONS ON REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS IN |
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| 12 | 12 | | GENERAL-LAW MUNICIPALITY. (a) In this section: |
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| 13 | 13 | | (1) "Child safety zone" means premises where children |
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| 14 | 14 | | commonly gather. The term includes a school, day-care facility, |
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| 15 | 15 | | playground, public or private youth center, public swimming pool, |
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| 16 | 16 | | video arcade facility, or other facility that regularly holds |
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| 17 | 17 | | events primarily for children. |
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| 18 | 18 | | (2) "Playground," "premises," "school," "video arcade |
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| 19 | 19 | | facility," and "youth center" have the meanings assigned by Section |
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| 20 | 20 | | 481.134, Health and Safety Code. |
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| 21 | 21 | | (b) To provide for the public safety, the governing body of |
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| 22 | 22 | | a general-law municipality by ordinance may restrict an individual |
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| 23 | 23 | | who is required to register as a sex offender under Chapter 62, Code |
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| 24 | 24 | | of Criminal Procedure, from going in, on, or within a specified |
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| 25 | 25 | | distance of a child safety zone in the municipality. |
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| 26 | 26 | | (c) The ordinance may establish a distance requirement |
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| 27 | 27 | | described by Subsection (b) at any distance of not more than 1,000 |
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| 28 | 28 | | feet. |
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| 29 | 29 | | SECTION 2. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
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| 30 | 30 | | a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
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| 31 | 31 | | provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
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| 32 | 32 | | Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
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| 33 | 33 | | Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |
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